'  GUIDE, 


UC-NRLF 


01.  Helea 


LESSON 
PLANS 


MESTIC 
ANIMALS 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 
f  '  .    N 

Class 


TEACHERS'   GUIDE    SERIES 


BOOK  II 


LESSON  PLANS 


DOMESTIC   ANIMALS 


BY 

M.  HELEN  BECKWITH 


EDUCATIONAL  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

BOSTON 
NEW  YORK        CHICAGO        SAN  FRANCISCO 


Of    TH£ 

(  UNIVERSITY  J 

.n 


GENERAL 


COPYRIGHTED 
BY  EDUCATIONAL  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1907 


CONTENTS 


The  Cat 

PACK 

7 

The  Dog      . 

21 

The  Cow 

.        .        ....      35 

The  Sheep 

....        .        .          53 

The  Goat 

3  '.     67 

The  Horse 

85 

The  Donkey    . 

I    .      IOI 

The  Piz 

113 

The  Hen 

1  ?     129 

The  Duck    . 

-      .      .      .      .      143 

219113 


THE    CAT 

SUGGESTIONS 

The  lessons  on  the  cat  are  suggestive  only;  the  work  is 
planned  to  last  the  whole  month.  It  is  designed  for  the  little 
children,  particularly,  who  have  just  entered  school,  and  to 
whom  school  work  is  apt  to  grow  tiresome  after  the  novelty 
wears  off. 

Much  easy  reading  can  be  combined  with  the  lessons,  by 
drawing  little  pictures  in  place  of  the  nouns  in  the  first  read- 
ing lesson,  as, 

See  Pussy's  (picture  of  two  eyes). 
This  is  her  (picture  of  tail). 

Children  love  to  make  cats  out  of  two  circles,  and  if  made 
good  size,  with  sandpaper  glued  across  the  back,  they  make 
good  match-scratchers.  The  mat  on  which  kitty  sleeps  may 
be  woven,  and  the  articles  in  the  story  drawn  and  cut,  viz., 
Belle's  basket,  the  saucer,  bottle  of  milk,  stalks  of  catnip,  a 
ball  she  plays  with,  the  tree  she  climbs,  the  cat  in  different 
positions,  and  the  rhymes  and  songs  illustrated. 


found  his  mitTenb 


DOMESTIC  ANIMALS 


THE  CAT 

It  was  almost  three  o'clock  when  Miss  Clare  took 
down  a  chart  that  had  been  hanging  against  the 
blackboard,  and  the  children  spied  the  picture  it 
had  covered.  Just  a  little  drawing  in  white  chalk 
—  a  kitty  and  a  tiny  girl,  looking  at  each  other. 

"Pussy-cat,  pussy-cat,  where  have  you  been?" 

laughed  Miss  Clare,  writing  the  words  by  the  little 
girl's  feet. 

"I've  been  to  London  to  see  the  queen," 
called  the  little  people,  merrily. 

" Pussy-cat,  pussy-cat,  what  did  you  see  there?" 
"Only  a  little  mouse  under  the  chair," 

the  dialogue  continued. 


8  Domestic  Animals 

"Pussy-cat  wasn't  very  wise,  was  she,  children? 
She  couldn't  have  had  very  good  eyes,  could  she  ? 
I  would  have  seen  more  than  that,  in  a  big,  splendid 
palace,  and  have  taken  at  least  one  good  look  at  the 
queen  herself,  wouldn't  you  ?  But  then,  some  people 
never  do  see  much,  even  when  there  is  a  lot  to  see, 
do  they?" 

"  How  many  of  you  little  people  have  a  pussy-cat 
at  home?" 

Nearly  every  hand  went  up. 

"Very  well;  now  I  shall  know  to-morrow  morning 
what  kind  of  eyes  you  have,  and,  perhaps,  what 
kind  of  ears  you  have,  and  if  they  are  'good  to  see 
and  hear  with,  my  dears';  "  and  she  began  pinning 
some  little  pink  papers  to  the  children's  frocks  and 
blouses,  on  which  were  the  following  hektographed 
questions: 

1  What  is  the  color  of  your  kitty? 

2  What  kind  of  a  coat  does  she  wear? 

3  What  does  she  eat? 

4  How  often  do  you  feed  her? 

5  What  does  she  like  best  to  eat  ? 

6  What  sounds  does  she  make  ?    What  do  they  mean  ? 


Domestic  Animals  9 

7  Is  she  fond  of  you?    What  has  she  done  to  make  you 

think  so? 

8  Does  she  play?     Does  she  work? 

9  Is  she  of  any  use? 

10    What  is  your  kitty's  name  ? 

"Now,"  Miss  Clare  continued,  after  reading  the 
questions  aloud,  "if  you  can't  remember  them,  why, 
ask  someone  to  read  them  to  you ;  but,  if  you  have 
the  right  kind  of  eyes,  I  think  you  can  find  out  the 
answers  for  yourselves.  Bob,  Belle,  and  Bess  may 
wait  one  little  minute  to  find  out  the  secret  I  have 
for  them;"  and  when  the  good-nights  had  been  said, 
the  day's  work  was  over. 

There  was  a  great  call  for  cats  that  night  in  all  of 
the  homes:  big  cats,  little  cats,  and  middle-sized 
cats,  all  came  in  for  a  share  of  inspection,  and  forty 
little  heads  were  nearly  bursting  with  information 
when  nine  o'clock  came  the  next  morning.  I  wish 
I  could  tell  you  of  all  the  funny  things  they  told 
Miss  Clare,  and  how  much  she  learned  of  the  way 
in  which  pets  were  cared  for  in  different  homes  — 
her  principal  reason  for  sending  those  questions 
home,  by  the  way  —  but  if  you  want  to  know, 
why  ask  the  children  themselves,  while  I  tell  you 


io  Domestic  Animals 

of  the  mysterious  packages  Belle,  Bob,  and  Bess 
had. 

In  Belle's  covered  basket  was  her  darling  Snow- 
flake —  white,  from  nose  to  tail;  Bob's  package 
held  a  bottle  of  fresh  milk;  and  Bess's  a  saucer, 
as  clean  and  white  as  kitty  herself. 

As  soon  as  the  room  was  quiet,  Miss  Clare  poured 
the  milk  into  the  saucer.  Bess  put  it  on  the  number- 
table,  and  Belle  lifted  out  pussy-cat. 

It  was  so  still,  Pussy  was  not  at  all  afraid,  and 
while  she  was  eating  her  breakfast  —  for  Miss  Clare 
had  asked  Belle  not  to  give  her  any  at  home  —  the 
little  folks  crept  up  softly  to  see  how  she  ate  it,  and 
to  watch  her  wash  herself  afterward.  They  dis- 
cussed the  shape  of  her  body,  her  legs,  and  her  tail; 
and  John  measured  her  with  a  ruler.  He  found  out 
her  length,  from  nose  to  tail,  and  then  measured  her 
tail.  How  long  do  you  suppose  she  was,  and  how 
high  ? 

Jenny  said  papa  told  her  cats  had  thick  fur  because, 
sometimes,  they  had  to  sleep  out  in  the  cold  and  wet, 
and  that  the  hairs  were  set  into  the  skin  so  that  they 
all  pointed  one  way,  from  the  head  to  the  tail.  This 
kept  the  rain  from  getting  through  to  the  skin.  In. 


Domestic  Animals  it 

summer  time,  many  of  the  hairs  fell  out,  but  they 
grew  again  before  cold  weather  came.  Then  the 
children  must  all  pat  Snowflake  "just  once,"  to  feel 
her  soft  fur;  must  hear  the  queer  crackling  noise  it 
made  when  Belle  rubbed  her  back  briskly;  and 
must  look  at  her  eyes  by  the  window  in  the  sunshine, 
and  in  the  twilight,  down  in  the  basement. 

Then  they  put  her  back  in  the  basket  to  take  a 
"cat  nap." 

Miss  Clare  wrote  a  list  of  points,  "discovered  and 
discoverable,"  on  the  board,  to  which  something  was 
added  each  day. 

1  BODY 

Shape;  size. 

2  COVERING 

Kind;   use;   color;   wearing  qualities;   how  re- 
paired. 

3  EYES 

Use;  color;  shape. 
Seen  in  sunlight 
Seen  in  twilight 
Difference. 


12  Domestic  Animals 

4    TONGUE 

How  does  it  feel  ?     How  does  kitty  use  it  ? 
a     As  a  spoon ;  for  what  ? 
b     As  a  sponge  ? 
c    As  a  file  ? 

The  next  day  the  basket  came  again,  but  it  held 
a  black  cat  this  time,  and  later,  a  gray  one,  and  then 
a  tortoise-shell. 

Mrs.  Price  came  over  one  morning,  and  showed 
them  her  beautiful  Angora  kitty;  and  after  school, 
one  night,  they  all  went  down  the  alley  to  see  Tim's 
little  kittens,  five  of  them,  out  in  the  shed,  with  the 
mother-cat,  in  a  basket.  Tim  was  watching  them 
most  carefully,  and  he  told,  very  accurately,  of  the 
way  in  which  the  mother  cared  for  them.  He  saw 
her  wash  them,  and  give  them  food,  and  yes  —  spat 
them  with  her  paw,  if  they  were  naughty.  One  day, 
she  seemed  to  think  they  had  been  receiving  too  much 
company,  for  she  made  a  new  home  for  them  in  a 
box  at  the  other  end  of  the  shed,  and  Tim  saw  the 
moving  take  place;  she  carried  each  one  over  in 
her  mouth.  His  joy  was  very  great  the  morning  he 
reported  that  one  had  its  eyes  open. 


Domestic  Animals  13 

* 

Joe  brought  his  cat  one  morning,  and  some  stalks 
of  fresh,  green  catnip.  The  basket  was  uncovered 
and  left,  with  kitty  in  it,  at  one  end  of  the  long  table, 
and  the  catnip  placed  at  the  other,  to  see  if  kitty 
had  a  "good  smell'  —  Joe  said  —  and  would  find  it. 

Another  day,  some  small  bones  were  given  the 
visitor,  to  see  if  she  would  eat  off  the  bits  of  meat, 
and  to  see  how  she  did  it.  Again,  Jenny  held  her 
audience  spellbound  as  she  described,  with  eloquent 
gestures,  how  her  Teddy  caught  a  mouse. 

The  list  on  the  board  was  a  long  one  now,  so 
many  things  were  added. 

5  EARS 

Position;  shape. 

6  NOSE 

Has  kitty  a  keen  scent  ? 

7  WHISKERS 

Where  are  they?     Length;  use. 

8  TEETH 

Are  they  large  or  small  ? 

Are  they  all  alike  ? 

Why  not  ?     Different  uses. 


14  Domestic  Animals 

9  *  LIMBS 

Number;  shape. 

How  joined  to  body  ?     Joints. 

10  FEET 

How  does  kitty  walk  ? 

Why  does  she  make  no  noise  ? 

How  many  toes  ?     How  many  claws  ? 

What  are  the  claws  made  of? 

What  is  their  shape  ? 

How  does  kitty  use  her  claws  ? 

Are  the  front  and  back  claws  alike  ? 

1 1  TAIL 

Shape;  length. 

What  use  is  it  ? 

Do  all  cats  have  tails  ? 

12  KITTENS 

How  do  they  look  when  very  little  ? 
Are  they  pretty  ? 

13  HABITS 

How  does  kitty  sleep  ? 
How  does  she  take  a  bath  ? 
Does  she  get  angry  ? 


Domestic  Animals  15 

How  does  she  defend  herself  if  you  hurt  her  ? 

Does  she  like  you  to  pet  her  ? 

How  do  you  smooth  her  hair  ?     Why  ? 

Did  you  ever  see  her  climb  a  tree  ? 

What  did  she  want  ? 

How  does  the  mother-cat  care  for  her  kittens  ? 

I  am  kitty's  eyes  —  round  in  shape,  and  green  in  color. 
There  are  holes  in  the  centre  that  grow  small  in  the  light  and 
large  in  the  dark.  I  can  see  best  in  the  dark.  I  am  made  in 
this  way  to  help  kitty  find  her  food  when  she  has  to  hunt  for  it, 
for  she  likes  mice  best;  and  they  come  out  of  their  holes  more 
often  at  night. 

Or, 

I  am  kitty's  teeth.  See  the  tiny  front  ones,  and  the  long, 
pointed  ones  on  each  side?  They  are  to  hold  a  mouse  tight 
when  I  catch  it. 

Little  Billy  told  this  story  that  his  Uncle  Ned 
told  him: 

Long,  long  ago,  a  kitty  caught  a  bird  one  morning;  but, 
as  she  was  about  to  eat  it,  a  sly  fox  came  along. 

"Good  morning,"  said  the  fox.  "Just  going  to  eat  your 
breakfast?  Well,  let  me  tell  you,  sir;  no  gentleman  eats  until 
he  first  washes  his  face." 

Kitty  laid  the  bird  down  on  the  ground  —  for  it  was  quite 


1 6  Domestic  Animals 

dead  —  and  began  to  wash  herself.    Then  the  sly  fox  reached 
out  his  long  paw,  took  the  bird  and  ran  off  with  it. 

Poor  kitty  had  to  hunt  for  another  breakfast,  and  she  said, 
"After  this,  I  shall  eat  first,  and  wash  myself  afterward,"  and 
cats  do  so  to  this  day. 

They  "  played  cats,"  also.  They  chose  Tim,  one 
day,  and  he  made  such  a  good  one!  He  arched  his 
back  (walking  on  hands  and  feet),  to  show  he  was 
angry;  scratched  when  Bob  rubbed  his  fur  the 
wrong  way;  purred  when  Nellie  patted  him  gently; 
"shinned"  up  a  pole  in  the  centre  of  the  room  to 
rub  down  his  claws;  measured  the  space  in  the 
half-opened  door  with  his  whiskers  to  see  if  he 
could  go  through,  and  howled  terribly  when  some 
one  stepped  on  his  foot. 

There  were  little  games,  too,  found  in  kinder- 
garten song  books. 

There  was  "Puss  in  the  Corner,"  also. 

They  sang 

"I  love  little  kitty,  her  coat  is  so  warm, 
And  if  I  don't  hurt  her,  she'll  do  me  no  harm; 
So  I'll  not  pull  her  tail,  or  drive  her  away, 
But  Pussy  and  I  very  gently  will  play. 
I'll  smooth  her  soft  fur  and  give  her  some  food, 
And  Pussy  will  love  me,  because  I  am  good." 


Domestic  Animals  17 

Miss  Clare  sang  a  song  she  knew  as  a  little  girl, 
called  "The  Old  Black  Cat,"  and  Teddy  recited 
the  old  rhyme  of  the  "Three  Little  Kittens  Who 
Lost  Their  Mittens."  This  latter  the  little  folks 
greatly  enjoyed,  and  Miss  Clare  illustrated  it  for 
them  on  the  blackboard. 

Those  blackboard  pictures!  What  delight  they 
took  in  them,  and  there  was  a  new  one  nearly  every 
day: 

Kitty  playing  with  a  ball;  eating  milk  out  of  a 
saucer;  asleep,  with  "tail  and  nose  together"; 
running  up  a  tree;  stretching  after  a  nap;  carrying 
a  kitten  by  its  neck;  spitting  at  a  dog;  crying  over 
the  lost  mittens;  laughing  when  they  were  found 
and  hung  up  to  dry;  and  watching  at  a  mouse's  hole. 

There  were  some  pretty  Perry  Pictures  pinned  on 
a  strip  of  burlap  on  a  small  blackboard,  and  the 
children  tried  to  draw  a  great  many  more  to  add 
to  the  collection.  When  the  month  was  over,  and 
all  the  pictures  erased,  Miss  Clare  gave  a  little  sigh 
of  satisfaction  as  she  added  these  notes  in  a  well- 
worn  note-book: 


1 8  Domestic  Animals 

ANIMAL  STUDY  FOR   SEPTEMBER 

OBJECT 

1  To  see  if  the  children  have  pets,  and,  if  so,  how  they  are 
treated. 

2  To  impress  kindness  to  animals. 

METHOD 

1  Have  different  cats  brought  that  the  children  may  see 
the  salient  characteristics  of  the  family  versus  the  accidental, 
as  size,  color,  etc. 

2  Emphasize  the  use  and  adaptability  of  each  organ,  rather 
than  to  simply  notice  the  organs  themselves. 

3  Songs,  games,  stories,  rhymes,  and  pictures  to  add  interest 
and  relieve  monotony. 

RESULTS 

Much  better  oral  expression  from  children. 
More  interest  taken  in  school  matters  by  "home  people." 
Better  control  of  muscles;  keener  powers  of  observation,  and 
A  jolly  good  time  by  all  oj  us. 


THE   DOG 

SUGGESTIONS 

Some  novels  that  teachers  may  find  interesting  that  have 
dogs  for  heroes  are:  "Bob,  Son  of  Battle,"  "The  Call  of  the 
Wild,"  and  "The  Little  Shepherd  of  Kingdom  Come."  Kip- 
ling and  Long  will  furnish  ideas,  and  a  good  encyclopedia  will 
contain  good  pictures  and  many  interesting  facts. 

Two  stories  for  the  children  are:  "Moufflon"  and  "Dicky 
Smiley's  Birthday,"  in  "The  Story  Hour,"  by  Kate  Douglas 
Wiggin. 

For  drawing;  modeling,  painting,  or  cutting,  follow  the  ideas 
in  the  stories  told,  using  objects  mentioned  there.  A  mat  for 
doggy  to  lie  on,  his  collar,  the  dish  he  eats  from,  a  cookie  that 
he  likes,  a  loaf  of  bread  before  we  cut  him  a  slice,  the  knife  to 
cut  it  with,  a  newspaper  that  he  brings  from  the  office,  a  basket 
he  can  carry  in  his  mouth,  etc.  Don't  forget  to  let  them  illus- 
trate some  stories,  even  if  you  can  see  no  "results,"  and  let 
them  draw  the  dogs  that  visit  you. 


THE   DOG 

Pit,  pat,  pit,  pat,  softly  sounded  the  steps  in  the 
hall,  and  then  there  was  a  sharp  bark  at  Miss  Clare's 
door.  She  opened  it  and  a  large  dog  walked  into 
the  room.  A  card  was  tied  to  his  collar  with  some 
writing  on  it  that  said: 

"Good  afternoon,  little  people!  My  name  is 
Bruno,  and  I  have  come  to  visit  you  for  fifteen 
minutes/'  The  teacher  read  this  to  the  children, 
and  then  to  their  delight  Bruno  began  to  walk  slowly 
through  the  aisles,  looking  at  each  little  friend  out 
of  his  big  brown  eyes. 

Meanwhile  Miss  Clare  was  writing  this  question 
on  the  blackboard:  "In  what  ways  is  a  dog  like  a 
cat?"  and  when  Bruno  had  finished  his  survey  of 
the  room  and  had  taken  his  stand  by  the  teacher's 
desk,  the  children  were  ready  to  answer  it. 

They  discovered  some  resemblances  easily,  as: 

Shape. 

Shape  of  limbs. 

Shape  of  tail. 


22  Domestic  Animals 

Use  and  number  of  organs,  and  some  differences, 
as: 

Size. 

Covering. 

Sounds  made. 

Feet. 

Eyes. 

Teeth. 

Ears. 

Tongue. 

As  the  time  for  the  visit  was  now  over,  Miss  Clare 
said,  "I  am  sure  that  we  can  find  out  many  other 
things  and  I  will  try  and  coax  Bruno  to  visit  us 
again  to-morrow,"  and  Tom  —  whose  father  owned 
a  market  —  volunteered  to  bring  a  bone  for  him  to 
eat. 

With  nine  o'clock  came  Miss  Clare  and  Bruno. 
The  bone  was  there,  also;  a  good  meaty  one,  that 
Tom  hid  on  a  low  shelf  in  the  cubpoard,  leaving  the 
door  ajar. 

Bruno  found  it  very  quickly,  and  began  at  once  to 
eat  it,  leading  the  children  to  decide  that  he  had  a 
keen  scent,  large,  strong  teeth,  and  good  eyesight. 


Domestic  Animals  23 

"He  fared  much  better  than  the  dog  in  the  story," 
laughed  Miss  Clare.     "  Don't  you  remember  how 

"Old  Mother  Hubbard  went  to  the  cupboard 

To  get  her  poor  dog  a  bone, 
And  when  she  got  there,  the  cupboard  was  bare, 
And  so  the  poor  dog  had  none"? 

With  a  ruler  they  measured  Bruno,  his  length, 
height,  tail,  and  ears,  examined  his  eyes  in  the  light 
and  in  the  dark,  felt  of  his  coat,  searched  for  whiskers, 
and  studied  his  color.  Miss  Clare  questioned  if 
dogs  were  always  larger  than  cats. 

"Yes,"  was  the  decided  answer  from  all  but  quiet 
little  Johnnie,  who  said  he  had  seen  a  dog  smaller 
than  an  Angora  cat. 

This  reminded  the  guessers  that  dogs  varied  in 
size,  and  they  came  to  the  conclusion  "that  some 
dogs  were  as  small  as  cats,  but  that  no  cat  was  as 
big  as  a  large  dog." 

They  noticed  that  Bruno  walked  a  little  lame. 
"What  makes  him?"  inquired  John. 

"When  he  was  a  small  dog,"  said  Miss  Clare, 
"he  was  out  playing  with  his  little  master  in  a  field 
near  a  railroad.  The  boy  was  throwing  sticks  for 


-vo 


Domestic  Animals  25 

the  dog  to  bring  back  to  him.  One  stick  fell  on  the 
track  and  as  he  ran  to  get  it,  the  train  came  along. 
Bruno  jumped,  but  the  engine  hit  his  leg  and  broke 
it.  A  doctor  set  it  and  it  got  well  in  time,  but  he 
has  been  afraid  of  the  cars  ever  since.  He  will  not 
cross  a  track  if  he  can  help  it. 

"One  Sunday  my  brother  and  I  were  out  walking 
and  we  came  to  a  bridge  across  the  river.  Bruno 
was  with  us  and  when  he  saw  there  was  a  car  track 
across  it  he  would  not  go  over.  We  coaxed  and 
scolded,  but  he  would  not  stir.  At  last  we  left  him, 
knowing  he  could  find  his  way  home  well  enough, 
but  what  do  you  think!  when  we  reached  the  other 
side  he  was  waiting  for  us.  He  had  gone  down  the 
steep  bank  and  had  swam  across  the  river!" 

It  was  now  time  to  tell  the  dog  good-by,  so  after 
giving  him  many  love  pats,  and  a  piece  of  cake, 
they  saw  him  trot  quietly  home. 

The  next  day  Charlie  brought  his  dog,  a  spaniel. 
He  was  a  beauty,  with  curly  hair  so  soft  and  silky, 
and  the  brightest  eyes!  He  could  do  many  tricks 
and  was  very  willing  to  do  them  for  his  little  master, 
who  spoke  so  lovingly  to  him. 

"Sit  up  and  beg,  Fritz,"  Charlie  would  say,  and 


26  Domestic  Animals 

Fritz  would  sit  on  his  hind  legs,  and  hold  out  his 
front  paw  in  such  a  droll  way.  He  would  roll  over, 
jump  through  a  hoop,  shake  hands,  go  to  sleep,  and 
play  "hide  the  ball."  Charlie  would  put  him  in 
the  hall  after  showing  him  the  ball,  and  then  he  would 
hide  it  in  the  school-room.  Fritz  never  failed  to 
find  it. 

Dogs  were  not  as  plenty  as  cats  in  the  homes,  but 
the  children  did  have  visits  on  different  days  from  a 
pug  and  a  poodle,  beside  the  two  mentioned.  From 
these  four,  and  a  great  many  pictures,  they  learned 
that  dogs  differed  not  only  from  cats  but  from  one 
another  and  they  made  this  list  for  the  blackboard. 

Dogs  vary  in: 

SIZE 

Being  small,  medium,  or  large, 

COVERING 

The  hair  being  short,  long,  straight,  curly. 

COLOR 

Being  black,  white,  brown,  yellow,  gray,  or 
mixed, 


Domestic  Animals  27 

SHAPE  OF  EARS 

Erect  or  drooping. 

SHAPE  OF  TAIL 

Straight,  recurved,  slim,  bushy,  short,  or  long. 

Of  course  there  were  other  variations,  but  these 
were  little  children  and  Miss  Clare  dd  not  think  it 
wise  to  be  too  technical. 

She  told  them  she  had  read  in  a  book  that  there 
were  over  one  hundred  and  eighty  kinds  of  dogs  in 
the  world,  more  than  some  of  them  would  be  able 
to  count,  but  maybe  they  would  like  to  know  about 
a  few  kinds  and  of  what  use  they  were  to  man. 

She  put  pictures  of  these  on  the  board. 

The  greyhound  they  admired  for  his  beauty,  and 
they  could  easily  imagine  what  a  good  hunter  he 
might  be,  and  how  swiftly  he  could  get  over  the 
ground. 

The  hound,  too,  was  a  favorite  when  they  learned 
that  he  was  often  able  to  find  people  that  were  lost, 
having  such  a  keen  scent  that  he  could  follow  their 
footsteps. 

The  dogs  of  the  Eskimos  were  not  overlooked, 
for  what  could  these  people  do  without  their  faithful 


2 8  Domestic  Animals 

dogs  in  those  cold  countries  where  so  few  animals 
are  able  to  live,  there  is  so  little  food  ? 

Stories  were  told  of  the  St.  Bernards,  whose  homes 
are  in  the  Alps,  and  whose  work  of  rescuing  lost 
travelers  from  the  cold  was  graphically  pictured.  It 
was  to  this  family  that  their  visitor,  Bruno,  belonged. 
The  Newfoundlands,  who  made  such  good  watch 
dogs,  were  so  faithful  and  courageous,  came  in  for 
a  large  share  of  attention,  while  stories  of  the  shep- 
herd dogs,  the  Scotch  collies,  were  received  with 
loud  applause. 

OLD  WATCH  TO  THE   MOON 

"Bow,  wow,  wow, 

Out  to  their  posts  the  stars  come  now, 
And  we  must  begin  —  the  Moon  and  I  — 
Our  still  night  watch;  she  in  the  silver  sky, 
While  down  low  in  the  dewy  grass  I  lie. 

"Bow,  wow,  wow, 

Within  the  dark  house  the  dear  ones  sleep  now  — 
And  close  I  sit  all  through  the  silent  night 
With  my  heart  as  full  as  the  Moon's  of  light  — 
They  trust  old  Watch  and  sleep,  and  they  do  right 


Domestic  Animals  29 

"Bow,  wow,  wow, 

0  Moon  so  near  to  heaven,  O  you 

Must  know!  —  I  have  no  words  to  speak  my  pain  — 
But,  tell  me,  Moon,  are  faith  and  love  in  vain  ? 
Will  there  not  come  a  time  when  all  is  plain? 

"Bow,  wow,  wow, 

1  hear  the  dear  ones  talking  soft  and  low 

Of  some  fair  land  where  they  shall  journey  soon, 
Where  all  shall  gain  some  longed-for  boon  — 
And  shall  I  not  be  with  them  there?  O  Moon? 

"Bow,  wow,  wow, 

I  shall  tell  them  there  that  I  loved  them  so!  — 
What  if  I  did  wrong  in  the  Old-Time  Land, 
Where  they  used  to  blame  me  with  word  and  hand  ? 
It  was  only  —  I  could  not  understand." 

They  learned  the  second  stanza  to  repeat,  and 
this  taken  from 

THE  FAITHFUL   DOG 

"If  thou  hast  a  dog,  when  he  comes  at  eve, 
Laying  his  ample  head  upon  thy  knee, 
And  looking  at  thee  with  a  glistening  eye, 
Repulse  him  not,  but  let  him  on  the  rug 
Sleep  fast  and  warm,  beside  thy  parlor  fire, 
So  mayst  thou  win 


30  Domestic  Animals 

A  willing  servant,  and  an  earnest  friend, 

Faithful  to  death." —  Mrs.  Sigourney. 

The  little  people  originated  a  few  games  which 
they  found  entertaining.  One  was  this,  to  be  played 
at  recess: 

Choose  two  boys  for  shepherd  dogs,  and  two  more 
for  shepherds,  and  divide  the  remaining  children  into 
two  flocks  of  sheep.  Then  the  two  flocks  run  to- 
gether, the  game  being  to  see  if  each  dog  can  re- 
member and  separate  his  own  sheep,  driving  them 
to  the  pasture  where  his  shepherd  waits. 

Another  is  to  be  played  in  the  school-room. 
Choose  a  boy  for  a  watch  dog.  He  must  go  to 
sleep  with  his  back  to  the  door,  the  game  being  to 
see  if  any  child  can  steal  in  so  softly  that  the  dog 
will  not  know  it. 

Of  course  they  played  they  were  St.  Bernards  and 
found  men  lost  in  the  snow,  some  able  to  be  guided 
to  the  monastery,  and  some  so  weak  that  they  re- 
quired help.  The  sharp  barks,  however,  always 
brought  the  monks  to  the  rescue. 

Songs  telling  about  dogs  did  not  seem  to  be  very 
plentiful,  but  this  one  found  in  an  old  Music  Reader, 
was  used  as  a  duet. 


Domestic  Animals  31 

FIDO  AND  HIS  MASTER 

"Come,  come,  my  pretty  Fido, 

Come,  come  here,  I  say." 
"No,  no,  my  little  master, 

Do  please  let  me  stay; 

Here  on  the  warm  rug  I 

Lie  softly  and  snugly, 
A  sleeping,  sleeping,  sleeping  with  Tray." 

"Come,  come,  -my  pretty  Fido, 

Stand  up  for  some  sport!" 
"No,  no,  my  little  master, 

I'd  much  rather  not. 

I  hate  such  a  riot, 

Do  let  me  be  quiet, 
A  dreaming,  dreaming,  dreaming  so  sweet. r 

"Come,  come,  my  little  Fido, 

Come  here  for  some  meat!" 
"Yes,  yes,  my  little  master, 

It  smells  good  and  sweet. 

I  long  to  begin  it, 

I  come,  then,  this  minute, 
I  think  it,  think  it,  think  it  a  treat." 

The  children  brought  many  little  stories,  incidents, 
and  pictures  from  home,  and  from  time  to  time  new 
questions  were  put  on  the  board. 


32  Domestic  Animals 

How  does  a  dog  sleep  ? 

Is  a  dog  a  clean  animal  ? 

Does  he  wash  himself  as  a  cat  does  ? 

Does  he  like  the  water  ? 

What  sounds  does  he  make  ? 

Can  he  climb  a  tree  ? 

Does  he  get  angry  ? 

Why  is  his  tongue  not  like  a  cat's  ? 

Did  you  ever  see  any  baby  dogs  ? 

What  do  we  call  them  ? 

How  does  the  mother  care  for  them  ? 

Does  a  dog  sweat  ? 

Did  you  ever  see  a  dog  after  he  had  been 

running  ? 
What  did  he  do  ? 
It  is  said  that  a  dog  will  turn  round  and  round 

and  scratch  with  his  paw  before  going  to 

sleep.     Is  this  true  ? 

All  of  these  questions  called  for  keen  observations 
on  the  part  of  the  children,  and  Miss  Clare  seemed 
pleased  with  her  experience,  for  in  her  little  note- 
book was  found  this  entry: 


Domestic  Animals  33 

ANIMAL   STUDY  FOR   OCTOBER 
OBJECT 

To  increase  the  child's  interest  in  animals.  Dogs  chosen 
because  of  their  intelligence,  because  they  are  common,  and  are 
easily  recognized.  Use  pictures  and  blackboard  drawings. 
Have  at  least  three  dogs  visit  the  school  that  we  may  study 
resemblances  and  differences. 

Use  stories  to  bring  out  the  dog's  characteristics  and  passions, 
such  as  grief,  love,  sympathy,  gratitude,  pride,  etc.,  and  to 
inculcate  good  habits,  such  as  responsibility,  courage,  obedi- 
ence, and  promptness. 

Results  too  intangible  to  put  down  in  black  and  white,  but 
perceived  and  felt. 


THE  COW 

"  I  am  thinking  of  an  animal  that  has  a  backbone 
like  a  cat,  but  no  fur.  It  has  four  legs  like  a  dog, 
but  it  cannot  bark,  and  it  is  a  great  deal  bigger 
than  either  of  them,  or  both  of  them  together/' 
said  Miss  Clare,  with  a  merry  twinkle  in  her  eye 
that  the  little  folks  knew  meant  a  "  funny  lesson," 
as  Tom  said.  They  were  all  attention. 

"I  suppose  if  I  should  ask  you  what  you  would 
like  best  to  eat,  somebody  would  say  'ice  cream/ 
and  another  '  chocolate  cake/  or  *  taffy-on-a-stick/ 
but  if  I  should  ask  my  animal  friend  she  would 
make  such  a  dreadful  noise  that  half  of  you  would 
put  your  fingers  in  your  ears  and  never  wait  to  have 
me  tell  you  that  she  was  only  saying  'gr-ass,  grass/ 

"I  should  never  dare  ask  her  to  come  and  visit 
us,  for  she  is  so  clumsy  that  I  don't  believe  we  could 
ever  get  her  up  the  stairs,  and  if  we  could,  she  never 
could  sit  in  one  of  our  chairs  as  pussy  and  doggy  did. 

35 


36  Domestic  Animals 

"I  will  tell  you  a  little  more  about  her,  and  perhaps 
you  may  be  able  to  see  her,  after  all.  She  has  a 
thick  coat  of  coarse,  short  hair  that  keeps  her  warm 
except  in  the  very  coldest  weather.  At  the  end  of 
her  tail  there  are  some  long  hairs,  like  this"  —  and 
she  drew  a  tail. 

(Miss  Clare  did  not  consider  herself  an  artist,  so 
in  a  case  of  this  kind  the  animal  was  put  upon  the 
board  the  night  before  from  a  stencil  drawing.  The 
outline  was  followed  with  a  lead  pencil  and  the 
chalk  marks  erased.  Standing  now  by  the  board 
Miss  Clare  could  see  the  pencil  line;  the  children 
could  not.  In  this  way  she  could  draw  the  separate 
parts,  arouse  the  curiosity  of  the  little  folks,  and 
keep  their  enthusiasm  from  waning.) 

"  She  has  four  slender  legs/'  continued  the  teacher, 
"and  four  feet  that  have  hoofs.  She  has  two  large 
ears  that  stand  out  from  the  sides  of  her  head,  a 
large  nose,  and  two  lovely,  big,  brown  eyes.  When 
we  put  in  her  back,  her  udder  (sketching  them  very 
rapidly),  and  her  horns,  I  am  sure  everybody  will 
be  ready  to  tell  me  that  my  friend  is  a  — " 

"Cow,"  cried  a  chorus  of  voices. 

"Yes,  one  of  our  best  friends;   to-morrow  we  will 


Domestic  Animals  37 

find  out  something  more  about  her/'  it  having  been 
discovered  that  cows  were  not  very  familiar  animals. 

The  next  day  Miss  Clare  said,  "Would  you  like 
to  play  'going  visiting'  ?"  Taking  a  chart  from  the 
wall  the  children  saw  sketched  on  the  board  a  faint 
suggestion  of  a  house  and  near  by  a  snug  little  barn. 

"My  friend,  Mr.  Brown,  lives  here.  This  cow 
(the  one  drawn  the  day  before)  belongs  to  him. 
See!  he  is  just  going  to  take  her  out  for  a  drink  of 
water."  (Sketching  a  halter  round  her  neck,  and 
a  watering  trough  close  by.)  "Let  us  ask  him  to 
tell  us  about  her. 

"  I  will  be  Mr.  Brown  "  -  putting  one  of  the  boy's 
caps  on  her  head  --  "and  you  may  ask  me  anything 
you  like." 

"What  color  is  your  cow,  Mr.  Brown?" 

"She  is  red  and  white,  but  my  neighbor  has  one 
that  is  black  and  white  and  another  that  is  all  red." 

"How  big  is  she?" 

"How  large?  Well,  when  I  stand  beside  her 
(sketching  in  a  man's  head  behind  the  cow),  you  can 
see  my  head,  neck,  and  shoulders;  but  if  one  of  you 
small  boys  should  stand  the  other  side  of  her  we 
couldn't  see  you  at  all,  unless  it  was  your  feet.  So, 


38  Domestic  Animals 

boss  —  so.  She  is  very  thirsty.  She  will  drink  as 
much  as  a  pailful  usually." 

"What  does  she  eat?" 

"Grass  in  summer.  I  keep  her  in  that  pasture 
behind  that  hill  then,  and  my  boy,  Johnnie,  drives 
her  out  and  back  morning  and  night.  I  wish 
Johnnie  was  here  to  see  all  you  nice  little  people, 
but  he  has  gone  out  to  the  farm  to  stay  with  grand- 
mother until  after  Thanksgiving.  Now  that  it  is 
cold,  I  keep  the  cow  in  the  barn,  and  she  eats  hay  and 
meal.  Come  and  see  her  teeth.  She  has  strong 
back  teeth  in  both  jaws,  but  she  has  no  teeth  in 
front  in  her  upper  jaw.  In  place  of  teeth  she  has 
a  ridge  of  skin,  hard  as  bone.  See  what  thick  lips 
she  has!  She  pushes  them  out  to  take  the  hay  and 
licks  it  in  with  her  tongue.  See  how  long  and  rough 
her  tongue  is!  Feel  of  her  nose!  It  is  always 
moist. 

"Oh!  I  must  tell  you  a  little  more  about  the  way 
she  eats.  When  she  bites  off  the  grass  or  hay  she 
does  not  really  eat  it  at  first,  but  she  packs  it  away 
in  a  bag  that  she  has  inside  of  her  big  body.  Isn't 
that  a  queer  way  to  do  ?  When  the  bag  is  full,  the 
grass,  or  whatever  she  has  eaten,  comes  up  into  her 


Domestic  Animals  39 

mouth,  a  little  ball  at  a  time,  and  then  she  chews 
it  and  really  eats  it.  We  say  about  animals  that 
eat  in  this  way,  'they  chew  the  cud.'  Now  I  must 
take  her  back  to  the  barn.  Come  over  some  morning 
early  and  I  will  milk  her  for  you.  Good-by." 

"Good-by,  Mr.  Brown.  Thank  you  for  showing 
us  your  cow,"  added  Grace. 

Miss  Clare  enjoyed  playing  in  this  way  herself  so 
much  that  of  course  she  made  it  very  real  to  the 
children,  and  by  the  next  day  they  began  to  bring 
items  from  home.  Sam's  father  had  been  a  farmer's 
son,  and  he  told  his  little  lad  how  he  drove  the  cows 
to  pasture  when  he  was  a  boy.  In  this  pasture  was 
a  tinkling  little  brook  where  the  cows  came  to  drink, 
and  tall  trees  that  made  shady  places  where  they 
could  lie  down  and  rest.  There  were  swampy  places 
where  the  cowslips  grew,  and  willow  twigs  from 
which  the  boys  made  whistles.  Pete,  his  shepherd 
dog,  always  went  with  him,  and  would  drive  the 
cows  home  alone. 

Paul's  father  was  interested,  too.  He  told  his 
little  boy  about  the  horns.  He  said:  "Long,  long 
ago,  when  cows  were  wild,  they  needed  their  horns 
to  defend  themselves  from  wild  beasts.  Now  that 


40  Domestic  Animals 

they  are  tame  and  kept  in  pastures  and  barns,  they 
are  not  of  much  use,  and  when  a  farmer  has  many 
cows  he  sometimes  cuts  off  the  horns.  This  is  to 
prevent  them  from  fighting  one  another,  as  cows 
often  will  do.  The  horns  are  not  quite  smooth. 
They  have  little  wrinkles  in  them.  Some  farmers 
say  they  can  tell  how- old  a  cow  is  by  the  number  of 
wrinkles  in  her  horns." 

The  boy  whose  father  owned  the  market  brought 
a  cow's  foot.  This  was  examined  carefully.  They 
saw  how  the  hoof  was  divided,  and  Miss  Clare  ex- 
plained that  this  was  called  a  cloven  foot,  and  called 
their  attention  to  the  two  small  toes  at  the  back  of 
the  foot. 

William  had  spent  the  previous  summer  on  his 
uncle's  farm.  As  his  mother  was  anxious  to  have 
him  profit  by  this  experience,  she  had  spent  much 
time  with  him  in  out-of-door  study.  She  came  to 
school  with  him  one  morning  to  help  him  recall 
these  happy  days. 

Do  you  know  how  a  cow  lies  down  ? 

William  said  that  she  bends  her  front  legs  under 
and  so  lowers  her  head  and  shoulders,  and  then 
she  bends  one  hind  leg  and  then  the  other  under 


Domestic  Animals  41 

her.  When  she  gets  up  she  rises  on  her  hind  legs 
first.  He  said  also  that  cows  were  fond  of  salt,  and 
would  lick  a  piece  out  of  your  hand.  His  uncle 
sometimes  put  salt  on  a  cow's  back  and  other  cows 
would  lick  it  off.  Cows  often  lick  themselves  and 
one  another  with  their  rough  tongues,  to  clean  them- 
selves and  to  get  rid  of  insects.  Their  tails  they  use 
as  brushes  and  for  the  same  purpose. 

That  reminded  Miss  Clare  of  the  story  of  "The 
Cow  Who  Lost  Her  Tail,"  in  Miss  Poulsson's  "In 
the  Child's  World,"  and  she  told  it  to  the  little  folks. 
They  began  now  to  make  the  blackboard  list: 

1  SIZE 

2  SHAPE 

3  COVERING 

4  COLOR 

5  LIMBS 

Feet. 

Hoofs. 

Toes. 

6  STOMACHS 

(Not  too  much  detail.) 


42  Domestic  Animals 

7  HEAD 

Face. 

Ears. 

Horns. 

Nose. 

Mouth. 

Lips. 

Tongue. 

Teeth. 

8  TAIL 

Length. 
Use. 

During  these  days,  for  seat  work  they  had  been 
trying  to  draw  the  animal  from  the  blackboard  pic- 
tures; its  different  organs;  the  barn;  the  pasture; 
and  now  Miss  Clare  gave  them  some  cows  to  cut 
out  that  she  had  hektographed  on  drawing  paper. 
She  folded  the  papers  so  that  they  were  double  when 
cut,  and  by  opening  them  a  little,  they  could  stand  up 
beautifully.  After  each  child  had  cut  one  cow,  he 
could  trace  around  that  and  cut  as  many  as  he  liked. 

They  all  liked  to  have  a  great  many,  a  whole  barn- 
yard full.  They  were  allowed  to  paint  them  with 


Domestic  Animals  43 

water  color  on  both  sides.  They  used  different  colors, 
copying  from  some  good  colored  prints  that  were  in 
the  room.  Stables  were  made  to  keep  the  cows  in, 
mangers  for  hay,  troughs  for  drinking  water,  and 
bags  for  meal. 

Thus  far  little  had  been  said  of  the  usefulness  of 
the  cow,  but  one  morning  Miss  Clare  reminded  them 
of  Mr.  Brown's  promise  to  show  them  how  he  milked. 
"Shall  we  go  to-day?"  Everyone  was  ready,  and 
they  found  Mr.  Brown,  milk-pail  in  hand,  waiting 
for  them. 

He  sat  down  on  his  three-legged  stool  (which  they 
made  later  of  cardboard  and  toothpicks)  and  showed 
them  the  whole  process.  They  could  almost  hear 
the  tinkle  of  the  stream  against  the  pail.  "So,  boss, 
so  boss,  steady  there,"  he  said  to  her,  for  she  was 
not  quite  used  to  so  many  visitors.  "I  don't  believe 
any  of  you  have  fingers  strong  enough  to  milk  her," 
he  explained. 

"How  much  milk  does  she  give,  Mr.  Brown?" 
asked  Jimmie. 

"This  pail  nearly  full  night  and  morning,  but  I 
get  several  quarts  more  in  the  summer  when  she  has 
fresh  grass  to  eat. 


Domestic  Animals  45 

"Come  into  the  house,  now,  and  have  a  drink. 
Mrs.  Brown  will  strain  it  off  into  pans  for  the 
cream  to  rise.  To-morrow  she  is  going  to  make 
butter.  You  had  better  come  and  see  how  she 
does  it." 

Then  Miss  Clare  went  into  the  hall  and  came  back 
as  Mrs.  Brown,  carrying  a  glass  pitcher  full  of  truly 
milk  and  a  tiny  tumbler,  that  each  might  have  a 
taste.  Wasn't  that  a  surprise  realistic  enough  to 
make  the  children  rub  their  eyes  and  wonder  if  they 
were  dreaming  ? 

The  milk  that  was  left  was  poured  into  a  tin  dish 
and  placed  on  the  desk  to  see  if  the  cream  would 
rise.  It  did,  and  the  next  morning  after  seeing  (in 
imagination,  of  course)  Mrs.  Brown  skim  her  milk 
and  make  butter,  they  took  the  cream  from  theirs. 
Miss  Clare  added  some  more  bought  of  the  milk- 
man and  they  made  some  "truly"  butter  themselves 
by  shaking  the  cream  in  a  glass  jar.  It  was  put  into 
a  little  tray,  patted  and  salted,  and  served  on  crackers 
for  a  little  luncheon  at  recess. 

The  dishes,  pails,  and  churns  were  drawn,  painted, 
and  made  of  clay,  and  some  pans  and  pails  were 
made  of  tea-lead  one  of  the  children  brought.  This 


46  Domestic  Animals 

was  folded  around  the  drawing  models  (cylinders) 
and  bits  of  wire  added  for  bails  and  handles. 
To  the  list  now  they  added: 

9  UDDER 

Shape. 

Size. 

Use. 

10  PRODUCTS 

Milk. 
Cream. 
Butter. 
Cheese. 

11  FOOD 

Kind. 
Quantity. 

12  HABITS 

How  does  a  cow  lie  down  ? 
How  does  she  get  up  ? 
How  does  she  eat  ? 
What  sounds  does  she  make  ? 
Does  she  get  angry  ? 


Domestic  Animals  47 

How  does  she  defend  herself? 
Is  she  a  handsome  animal  ? 
Is  she  a  graceful  one  ? 
Can  she  run  fast  ? 
What  is  a  baby  cow  called  ? 

They  heard  the  poem  of  "The  Cow,"  by  Robert 
Louis  Stevenson,  and  "The  Story  the  Glass  of  Milk 
Told  Me/'  from  "In  the  Child's  World,"  and  learned 
the  finger  plays  relating  to  milk  and  butter  by  Miss 
Poulsson.  They  made  a  list  of  articles  of  food  in 
which  mamma  used  milk,  and  were  surprised  at  the 
length  of  it. 

To  crown  all,  it  was  decided  to  make  a  cake,  the 
children  agreeing  to  furnish  the  materials. 

"Choose  those  that  don't  never  forget,  Miss  Clare," 
urged  Sallie,  "or  somebody '11  spoil  it." 

To  this  they  all  agreed,  and  a  list  of  the  needed 
articles  was  written  upon  the  board,  each  child  copy- 
ing the  one  thing  he  was  to  bring.  The  list  included 

Mixing  dish. 
Large  spoon. 
Small  spoon. 


48  Domestic  Animals 

Baking  tin. 
Measuring  cup. 

Egg- 
Sugar. 

Flour. 

Salt. 

Milk. 

Baking  powder. 

Every  one  took  a  hand  at  the  mixing  and  beating. 
A  kind  neighbor  baked  it  for  them,  and  sent  over  a 
slice  of  cheese  to  eat  with  it.  It  proved  a  great 
success. 

But  there  were  other  things  for  which  they  were 
indebted  to  the  cow.  "  Where  did  we  get  the  roast 
beef  and  juicy  steak  that  we  had  for  dinner  ?"  ques- 
tioned the  teacher.  "Did  you  remember  that  it  was 
cow's  flesh  that  you  were  eating?  When  a  little 
boy  looks  at  the  soles  of  his  shoes  he  often  needs  to 
say  'Thank  you'  to  the  cow,  for  very  likely  it  was 
from  her  skin  made  into  leather  that  they  were  made. 
From  her  horns,  knife  and  fork  handles,  combs  and 
buttons  are  made;  from  her  fat,  candles,  sometimes; 
and  from  her  hoofs  we  get  glue.  Even  her  hair  is 


Domestic  Animals  49 

mixed  with  mortar  to  plaster  our  houses.     From  her 
bones  a  food  for  plants  is  made  that  th&  farmer 
mixes  with  his  soil  to  help  the  grass,  vegetables,  and 
flowers  grow." 
To  the  list  was  added: 

OTHER  PRODUCTS 

Flesh  —  beef. 

Hair  —  plaster. 

Hoofs  —  glue. 

Skin  --  leather. 

Horns  —  buttons,  combs,  etc. 

Bones  —  fertilizer. 

As  Thanksgiving  drew  near  the  story  of  the  Pil- 
grims was  told;  the  departure  from  England  and 
Holland;  the  journey;  the  house  building;  the 
children  and  the  babies.  "How  they  must  have 
missed  the  milk  and  cream  of  the  old  Dutch  home, 
for  no  cows  came  in  the  Mayflower!"  exclaimed 
Miss  Clare.  "How  the  mothers  must  have  racked 
their  brains  to  have  good  things  to  eat  without  any 
milk!  How  glad  everyone  must  have  been  when  a 
ship  did  finally  come  that  brought  some  animals! 


50  Domestic  Animals 

How  they  must  have  patted  bossy's  side,  looked  into 
her  brown  eyes  and  stroked  her  soft  nose!  How 
good  the  milk  must  have  tasted,  and  the  fresh,  sweet 
butter  the  good  mothers  made!" 

A  game  that  they  often  played  was  the  kinder- 
garten "Farm  Yard  Gate,"  and  a  favorite  story  was 
"The  Cow  with  the  Golden  Horns,"  found  in  "A 
Pot  of  Gold  and  Other  Stories,"  by  Mary  E.  Wilkins. 
They  also  learned  to  recite  that  pretty  old  poem  by 
Jane  Taylor: 

THE  COW 

Thank  you,  pretty  cow,  that  made 
Pleasant  milk  to  soak  my  bread, 
Every  morn  and  every  night, 
Warm  and  sweet  and  sure  and  white. 

"Do  not  chew  the  hemlock  rank, 
Growing  on  the  woody  bank, 
But  the  yellow  cowslip  eat, 
That  will  make  it  very  sweet. 

Where  the  bubbling  water  flows, 
Where  the  grass  is  fresh  and  fine, 
Pretty  cow,  go  there  and  dine!" 


Domestic  Animals  51 

The  note-book  summary  may  read: 

ANIMAL   STUDY  FOR   NOVEMBER 
OBJECT 

To  make  children  somewhat  acquainted  with  our  common 
domestic  animal,  chosen  for  this  month  to  connect  with  har- 
vesting, winter  preparation  and  Thanksgiving. 

METHOD 

Pictures,  descriptions  and  stories  principally. 
(Few  of  the  children  had  seen  a  cow.) 


THE   SHEEP 

SUGGESTIONS 

Be  careful  not  to  make  the  talks  too  technical.  Make  the 
animal  seem  a  real  live  one,  not  "a  mass  of  wool  and  flesh." 
Put  in  a  great  deal  of  fun,  and  tell  as  many  rhymes  as  possible, 
not  forgetting  the  old  classic,  "Mary  had  a  Little  Lamb." 

"  Little  lambs  so  white  and  fair, 
Are  the  gentle  shepherd's  care. 
Now  he  leads  their  tender  feet 
Into  pastures  green  and  sweet," 

sang  Miss  Clare  softly,  as  she  pinned  to  the  board  a 
beautiful  picture  of  "Sheep  on  the  Hillside,"  one 
cold  morning  in  December. 

"  Some  of  you  little  people  who  went  out  into  the 
country  last  summer  saw  sheep  that  the  farmers  had. 
This  picture  will  make  you  think  of  the  pasture 
where  they  loved  to  stay  nibbling  the  short,  green 
grass. 

"  If  you  should  go  out  there  now,  you  would  find 

53 


S4 


Domestic  Animals 


the  fields  all  white  with  snow,  and  when  you  asked 
for  the  sheep  the  farmer  would  tell  you  that  he  had 
them  hid  away  all  snug  and  w/arm  in  his  big  barn, 
or  in  the  sheepfolds  that  he  had  had  made  for  them. 


"But  in  some  places  in  the  world  where  sheep  are 
raised,  it  is  never  very  cold,  and  they  have  no  snow 
at  all.  There  the  sheep  and  lambs  can  stay  out-of- 
doors  all  the  year.  The  man  who  owns  them  or 


Domestic  Animals  55 

cares  for  them  is  called  a  shepherd.  He  stays  out 
with  them  night  after  night,  to  see  that  no  harm 
comes  to  them,  especially  to  the  little  lambs,  who  are 
not  strong  enough  to  care  for  themselves,  and  so 
'He  Jeads  their  little  feet  where  the  grass  is  fresh  and 
sweet/  as  it  tells  us  in  the  song. 

"Some  of  you  have  never  seen  any  sheep,  have 
you  ?  But  you  have  seen  so  many  pictures  of  them 
that  I  think  you  know  how  they  look.  However, 
here  is  one  that  I  got  at  the  toyshop  last  night  that 
looks  very  much  like  a  real  one,  only  it  is  not  nearly 
as  large." 

(Here,  to  the  delight  of  the  children,  Miss  Clare 
showed  a  small  but  excellent  toy  sheep  covered  with 
wool.) 

"  It  is  very  pretty,  isn't  it  ?  We  will  pass  it  around. 
You  may  all  feel  of  it,  and  then  be  ready  to  tell  me 
something  about  the 

Shape  of  the  body, 

Number  of  limbs, 

The  coat  that  he  wears." 

These  questions  having  been  answered  satisfac- 
torily, Miss  Clare  said:  "To-morrow,  see  if  you 


56  Domestic  Animals 

can  bring  me  any  pictures  or  stories.  Ask  the 
people  at  home  to  help  you." 

The  next  morning  the  little  toy  lamb  was  on  hand 
again,  and  the  teacher  said:  "Let  us  play  that  our 
little  toy  sheep  is  a  real,  truly  one  that  has  come  to 
visit  us.  If  he  could  talk  he  would  say:  "Good 
morning,  children.  Do  you  want  me  to  tell  you 
something  about  myself?  Your  teacher  says  you 
have  had  animal  friends  visit  you  before.  Which 
one  do  you  think  I  look  the  most  like  ? " 

"The  dog,"  replied  Willie. 

"That  is  a  pretty  good  guess.  I  am  nearer  the 
size  of  the  big  dog  that  came  to  see  you  than  any  of 
the  others,  and  I  am  somewhat  like  him  in  shape. 
I  have  as  many  legs  as  he,  but  my  feet  are  different. 
See,  here  is  a  foot  (one  procured  from  the  butcher); 
it  is  split,  more  like  that  of  a  cow.  Do  you  know  that 
in  the  bottom  of  my  foot  is  a  little  sac,  that  has 
something  in  it  that  gives  out  an  odor,  or  smell,  as 
I  travel  along  ?  I  don't  know  as  you  would  notice 
it,  but  the  other  sheep  —  my  cousins,  you  know  — 
following  behind,  can  smell  it  on  the  stones  and  grass 
over  which  I  walk.  That  is  one  reason  we  follow 
one  another  so  well.  Our  sense  of  smell  is  keen, 


Domestic  Animals  57 

"Sheep  are  like  cows  in  another  way.  You  do 
not  see  any  horns  on  my  head,  but  a  great  many 
sheep  do  have  them,  especially  those  that  are  wild. 
Some  have  very  small  horns,  and  some  very  large 
ones,  like  my  cousin,  'the  big  horned  sheep/  Some 
have  horns  that  branch  out,  and  some  have  horns 
that  curl  until  they  nearly  form  a  ring,  but  they  are 
all  hollow.  I  like  many  things  to  eat  that  a  cow  does, 
such  as  grass,  clover,  meal  and  salt,  and  my  teeth 
are  much  like  hers.  Our  coats  are  not  alike,  we  do 
not  make  the  same  noise,  and  I  never  give  you  milk 
to  drink.  I  haven't  much  of  a  tail,  either,  but  some 
members  of  my  family  have  much  longer  ones.  I 
have  some  far-away  cousins  who  have  such  fat  tails 
they  can  hardly  carry  them.  The  people  in  that 
country  use  this  fat  for  butter,  and  what  do  you  think! 
They  sometimes  make  little  carts  with  four  wheels 
to  them,  and  fasten  them  to  the  sheep,  so  that  they 
draw  their  own  tails!  Perhaps  that  was  where  Bo- 
Peep  lived,  for  don't  you  remember  the  story  ? 

"Little  Bo-Peep  has  lost  her  sheep, 

And  can't  tell  where  to  find  'em. 
Let  'em  alone,  and  they'll  come  home, 
Dragging  their  tails  behind  them" 


58  Domestic  Animals 

"If  you  think  you  can  remember  all  this,  maybe 
I'll  tell  you  something  more  another  day.  Good- 
bye/' And  the  little  toy  lamb  disappeared  into  its 
sheepfold  —  Miss  Clare's  desk  —  while  the  children 
helped  to  put  this  list  on  the  blackboard: 

A  sheep  resembles  a  cow  somewhat  in 
Shape  of  body. 
Shape  and  number  of 

Limbs;    eyes;    ears;    horns;    feet;    teeth; 
in  food  required;    in  care  required. 

A  sheep  differs  from  a  cow  in 
Size. 
Sounds. 
Products. 
Covering. 
Habits. 

The  next  day  they  began  to  learn  the  "  Barn  Yard 
Song,"  from  "Holiday  Songs,"  by  Miss  Poulsson, 
beginning,  "With  a  baa!  baa!  baa!"  and  also  "The 
Lambs,"  in  her  "Finger  Play"  book. 

Pictures  began  to  come  in  of  sheep  and  shepherds, 
and  under  an  outline  drawing  on  the  board  was 
written : 


Domestic  Animals  59 

"Baa!  baa!  old  sheep, 
Have  you  any  wool?" 

"No,  sir;  yes,  sir;  three  bags  full. 
One  for  my  master,  one  for  my  dame, 
One  for  the  little  boy  that  lives  in  the  lane." 

"But  how  can  he  get  it  off  his  back?"  queried 
wee  Jamie. 

"To  be  sure!     How  can  he,  children?" 

"Pull  it  off,"  shouted  Sam. 

'Take  him  to  the  barber  and  have  it  cut,"  sug- 
gested Fred. 

"Pretty  good,"  laughed  Miss  Clare.  "Do  you 
think  our  toy  sheep  could  tell  us  anything  about  it  ? 
We  might  ask  him."  So  the  lamb  came  forth  once 
more  and  said: 

"Pretty  cold  morning,  isn't  it,  children?  I  sup- 
pose you  all  wore  your  thick  coats  to-day.  I  am 
glad  of  mine  now,  but  there  are  days  when  it  feels 
rather  hot  and  uncomfortable.  Do  you  know  what 
the  farmers  do  for  their  sheep,  then  ?  They  cut  or 
shear  off  their  wool. 

"Shall  I  tell  you  how  I  saw  it  done  last  year? 
It  was  in  June,  when  Farmer  Brown  said  to  his 
man  one  morning,  'John,  the  sheep  shearers  are 


6o  Domestic  Animals 

coming  here  to-day.  I  want  you  to  go  down  to  the 
pasture  with  me,  and  drive  the  sheep  up  to  the 
barn.'  Then  they  went  down  and  drove  us  all  up 
-  the  whole  fifty. 

"Soon  the  men  came  with  their  big  shears  to  cut 
off  our  coats;  not  mine  —  I  was  too  little  —  but 
the  old  sheep.  They  would  take  a  sheep,  tie  his 
legs  together,  lay  him  on  a  bench,  strap  him  down, 
and  then  shear  him.  I  asked  an  old  sheep  after- 
ward if  it  hurt,  and  he  said,  'No,  not  at  all,  but  it 
always  frightens  me.'  He  told  me  I  wouldn't  be 
sheared  until  I  was  a  year  old. 

"Another  sheep  told  me  that  farmers  sometimes 
washed  their  sheep  before  they  were  sheared.  He 
said  there  was  some  oil  in  the  wool  which  kept  the 
rain  from  running  through  to  our  skins  and  wetting 
us,  and  that  when  sheep  were  taken  to  a  brook  or 
pond  and  bathed,  this  was  washed  out  and  the  wool 
was  left  very  soft  and  white. 

"One  thing  more,  children,  before  I  leave  you. 
Ask  your  mothers  to-night  what  folks  use  lamb's 
wool  for,  and  tell  your  teacher  to-morrow.  Good- 
bye," and  off  he  ran.  The  children  clapped  their 
hands  at  this,  and  Frank  said,  "What  a  nice  story 
he  told  us,  didn't  he,  Miss  Clare  ? " 


Domestic  Animals  61 

Yes,  indeed!  and  don't  forget  what  he  asked  you 
to  find  out." 

The  words  fairly  tumbled  over  one  another  the 
next  morning,  the  children  were  so  anxious  to  answer 
the  lamb's  question,  and  later  they  divided  them  into 
groups  telling  what  might  have  been  made  from  the 
"three  bags  full,"  in  this  way: 

MASTER'S  BAG 
Trousers. 
Coat. 
Vest. 
Flannels. 
Overcoat. 
Socks. 
Caps. 
Mittens. 

DAME'S  BAG 
Skirt. 
Dress. 
Shawl. 
Hood. 
Stockings. 
Gloves, 


62  Domestic  Animals 

LITTLE  BOY'S  BAG,  WHO  LIVES  IN  THE  LANE 
Toque. 
Pants. 
Sweater. 
Leggins. 
Night-dress. 
Blankets. 

Nellie's  grandma,  such  a  sweet  old  lady,  came 
one  day  and  told  them  how  people  in  the  old  days 
used  to  send  the  wool  to  the  mill  to  be  made  into 
soft  white  rolls,  and  then  the  women  at  home  would 
spin  these  into  yarn,  knit  stockings  of  it,  and  weave 
it  into  cloth. 

By  putting  some  yarn  through  the  holes  in  an  old 
slate  frame,  and  then  weaving  some  more  in  cross- 
wise, just  as  they  did  their  paper  mats,  the  children 
made  a  piece  of  cloth  themselves,  and  grandma  had 
shown  them  the  stocking  she  was  making  for  her 
little  grandson  Carl.  She  used  four  bright,  shining 
knitting  needles  to  knit  it  with.  For  seat  work 
there  was  the  folding  of  sheep  folds  and  barns;  the 
cutting  of  sheep  and  lambs,  as  they  did  cows;  the 
drawing  of  shears,  racks  of  hay,  measures  for  meal, 


Domestic  Animals  63 

and  bags  for  grain,  and  the  modeling  of  the  articles 
in  clay. 

They  also  cut  clothing  from  paper  and  cloth,  such 
as  hoods,  mittens,  coats,  jackets,  caps,  dresses  and 
shawls,  dyed  paper  different  colors  with  water  colors, 
and  painted  striped  blankets  and  stockings. 

When  they  found  there  was  no  part  of  the  sheep 
but  what  could  be  used  in  some  way,  the  other 
products  made  a  long  list,  including: 

THE  FLESH  — for  food 
Lamb;  mutton. 

THE  FAT  —  suet  and  tallow 
Soap;  candles. 

THE  SKIN 

Gloves. 
Parchment. 
Book  covers. 

BONES  —  burned,  ground 
Fertilizer. 

For  stories  there  were  "Jason  and  the  Golden 
Fleece,"  and  "Cupid  and  Psyche,"  in  "In  Myth- 


64  Domestic  Animals 

land"  (Vol.  II.);  "How  the  Little  Boy  Got  a  New 
Shirt,"  "The  Child's  World,"  and  "The  Rhyme  of 
the  New  Dress,"  in  an  old  copy  of  Primary  Education. 

For  games,  in  "Marching  Plays,"  by  Grey  Burle- 
son,  was  a  "  Flock  of  Sheep  "  that  the  children  thought 
great  fun;  while  dividing  the  little  folks  into  flocks, 
each  with  a  shepherd,  whom  they  followed  wherever 
he  led,  was  a  favorite  recreation. 

But  Christmas  came  on  with  the  stories  of  the 
shepherds  and  the  Christ-Child,  the  making  of  little 
gifts  to  take  home,  and  the  singing  of  the  dear  old 
carols.  When  this  happy  time  was  over,  someone 
who  peeped  into  Miss  Clare's  note-book  read: 

ANIMAL   STUDY   FOR   DECEMBER 
OBJECT 

1  To  familiarize  the  children  with  another  domestic  animal. 

2  To  lead  them  to  trace  manufactured  articles  back  to  the 
raw  products. 

3  To  awaken  gratitude  and  love  for  the  kindly  care  that  is 
given  them. 

RESULTS 

The  children  seemed  to  have  a  better  comprehension  of  the 
Christmas  Story,  and  enjoyed  the  songs  more  than  any  previous 
class. 


THE   GOAT 
SUGGESTIONS 

The  query,  "What  do  goats  eat?"  was  addressed  to  a 
gentleman  who  is  very  familiar  with  the  character  and  habits 
of  the  Billy  in  the  following  sketch.  He  wrote:  "Goats  eat 
most  everything  from  tree  trunks  in  the  forests,  to  harnesses  in 
the  stable.  Billy  got  at  our  carriages  and  ate  the  enamel  from 
the  shafts;  he  ate  the  bark  from  our  trees,  and  I  don't  know 
what  would  have  happened  if  he  had  gotten  into  the  coal  bin. 
He  insisted  upon  sampling  everything  he  saw.  When  deigning 
to  partake  of  food  he  ate  a  little  corn,  sometimes  a  few  oats,  a 
bit  of  hay,  a  morsel  of  grass,  and  other  green  stuff,  but  only  a 
little  of  any  one  thing. 

"He  was  exceedingly  temperate  in  the  matter  of  drink, 
drinking  infrequently  and  but  a  little,  and  usually  his  beverage 
was  water. 

"The  goat  is  the  most  liberal  liver  in  the  world  when  some 
body  else  provides  the  stuff.  His  extravagance  at  others'  ex- 
pense is  something  marvelous." 

65 


THE  GOAT 

"Oh,  Miss  Clare!  Miss  Clare !"  shouted  Roy, 
bursting  into  the  school-room  the  first  day  after 
vacation,  "come  out  and  see  Freddie's  team,  quick." 
Dropping  everything,  Miss  Clare  rushed  to  the  door 
and  such  a  dear  little  "turn  out"  as  met  her  eyes. 

First,  there  was  the  wagon  —  such  a  dear  little 
wagon,  painted  yellow,  with  a  foot  mat,  a  whip 
socket,  and  a  seat  just  big  enough  for  two,  if  the 
two  happened,  as  in  this  case,  to  be  tiny  boys. 

Next,  there  was  the  harness  —  such  a  shiny  leather 
harness,  with  buckles  and  straps,  and  rings  and 
reins. 

Then  there  was  the  driver  —  such  a  proud  little 
driver  in  a  bright  red  cap,  who  sat  up  so  stiff  and 
tall  and  held  the  reins.  Beside  him  sat  the  passen- 
ger, a  serious  looking  little  passenger,  who  wore  a 
red  cap,  also,  and  sat  stiff  and  straight  and  held  the 
whip. 

By  the   side  of   the   wagon   stood  brother  Tom, 

keeping  one  eye  on  the  driver  and  the  other  on  the 

67 


68  Domestic  Animals 

horse,  which,  by  the  way,  wasn't  a  horse  at  all,  but 
the  very  cutest  little  "Billy-goat"  it  had  ever  been 
Miss  Clare's  lot  to  see. 

The  little  people  crowded  around  it  admiringly, 
and  the  teacher  said,  "Look  at  the  goat  carefully, 
children,  for  I  shall  want  you  to  tell  me  about  him 
after  school  opens,"  while  Fred  explained  that  the 
team  came  on  New  Year's  Day,  a  present  from  Uncle 
Fred,  who  lived  in  New  York. 

When  the  "quarter  bell"  rang,  Tom  said  he  must 
take  Little  Brother  home  and  go  to  school  himself, 
but  that  they  would  drive  over  again  the  next  day. 

Now  it  happened  that  Miss  Clare  had  written  in 
her  note-book  for  January,  "Animal  Study — Goats," 
but  she  had  no  idea  that  she  was  to  be  aided  in  such 
a  realistic  way;  so  the  children  found  several  pictures 
of  goats  drawn  on  the  blackboard  when  they  went 
in,  and  they  were  soon  comparing  them  with  the 
"real  one."  Then  they  compared  goats  with  sheep 
and  found 

Some  resemblances: 
Size. 
Shape. 


Domestic  Animals  69 

Number  of  legs. 
Feet. 
Hoofs. 
Sounds  made. 

Some  differences: 
Covering. 

Use. 

They  talked  a  little  about  the  difference  in  habits, 
Miss  Clare  telling  them  that  goats  are  good  climbers, 
and  can  live  in  rocky  places  where  their  little  sharp 
hoofs  find  their  way  into  each  little  crack  or  crevice 
so  that  they  do  not  fall. 

She  said,  "They  do  not  go  about  in  flocks  as  sheep 
do,  and  they  can  run  fast  and  jump  high,  so  they  are 
not  driven  as  sheep  are.  They  do  not  need  shepherds 
to  watch  them,  and  they  will  come  home  at  the  right 
time  if  they  know  some  good  food  will  be  ready  for 
them." 

The  next  morning  everyone  was  on  hand  early 
to  see  the  little  team  drive  up,  and  as  Little  Brother 
stayed  at  home  Fred  gave  different  children  short 
rides,  one  at  a  time.  During  this  second  visit  they 
discovered  Billy's  beard  of  long  hair  hanging  from 


76  Domestic  Animals 

his  chin,  and  John  was  very  anxious  to  measure  it. 
They  noted  several  of  his  peculiarities;  he  did  not 
trot  off  quietly  like  a  pony,  but  walked  in  a  jerky, 
uncertain  way,  stopping  often,  and  was  ready  to 
investigate  everything  that  attracted  his  attention. 

He  was  a  sort  of  gray  in  color,  with  a  short  head, 
forehead  flat  and  wide,  and  a  small  nose.  His  horns 
were  quite  large,  rather  flat  near  the  head  and  curving 
toward  the  back.  They  looked  in  his  mouth,  and 
Miss  Clare  told  them  that  goats  have  thirty-two 
teeth,  but  as  they  do  not  have  them  all  at  once,  any 
more  than  children  do,  people  tell  the  age  of  goats 
by  the  number  of  their  teeth  until  they  are  five  years 
old.  Fred  was  questioned  as  to  the  food  Billy  ate. 

He  said,  "He  doesn't  eat  very  much  of  any  one 
thing.  He  likes  lots  of  kinds;  a  little  corn,  a  bite  of 
potato,  a  piece  of  cabbage,  and  some  oats.  He  eats 
hay,  too,  and  any  kind  of  green  things.  Papa  says 
he  eats  tin  cans,  and  nails,  and  old  iron,  but  he  is 
only  in  fun  when  he  says  that;  but  he  truly  does 
want  to  taste  of  everything  he  sees,  for  he  ate  some 
paint  off  the  carriage  one  day,  and  another  time  we 
found  him  chewing  an  old  harness.  You  have  to 
look  out  for  him  and  not  leave  things  where  he  can 


Domestic  Animals  71 

get  them.  He  drinks  water,  of  course,  but  not  very 
much  at  a  time." 

Miss  Clare  said,  "An  old  Billy-goat  is  sometimes 
cross,  and  will  butt  with  his  horns  anything  he  does 
not  like.  He  has  to  be  kept  by  himself  and  in  a 
place  where  he  will  do  no  harm." 

They  looked  at  Billy's  hair  and  saw  that  it  was 
short  and  coarse.  For  this  reason,  Miss  Clare  told 
them,  it  was  not  of  much  use  except  for  Billy  himself, 
but  she  added:  "In  some  countries  there  are  goats 
that  have  two  kinds  of  hair,  one  long,  coarse  kind 
outside,  and  a  soft,  fine  kind  like  wool  underneath. 

"The  soft  wool  is  made  into  thread,  and  then  woven 
into  beautiful  shawls.  They  are  so  fine  and  soft,  of 
lovely  colors,  and  it  takes  so  long  a  time  to  weave 
one,  that  they  cost  a  great  deal  of  money." 

The  children  were  anxious  to  hear  Billy  "talk." 
Fred  said  he  made  a  noise  very  much  like  a  sheep, 
and  that  he  made  it  a  great  deal  when  he  was  alone 
in  the  barn.  They  supposed  that  he  was  lonesome. 

The  little  folks  were  intensely  interested  in  goats 
in  general  by  this  time,  and  one  morning  Sallie  an- 
nounced that  some  goats  gave  milk. 

Fred    looked    incredulous,    until    Miss    Clare    ex- 


Domestic  Animals 


73 


plained  that  it  was  a  mother,  or  Nanny-goat,  that 
gave  milk,  while   his  was  a  father,  or   Billy-goat. 


NANNY   GOAT 


She  said,  "A  Nanny-goat  is  often  called  'the  poor 
man's  cow/  because  she  eats  little,  and  it  costs  little 
to  keep  her.  She  is  gentle  and  playful,  and  likes  to 


74  Domestic  Animals 

be  petted.  She  is  clean  in  her  ways,  and  her  milk 
is  rich  and  sweet. 

"She  doesn't  give  much,  a  pint  or  a  quart  some- 
times, but  not  much  more,  for  she  is  a  little  animal, 
you  know,  while  a  cow  is  large.  She  has  a  bag  like 
a  cow  and  is  milked  in  the  same  way  a  cow  is.  A 
goat  is  not  hard  to  milk.  Sometimes  a  man  will 
teach  Nanny  to  jump  upon  a  bench,  or  he  will  sit 
upon  a  stool  and  put  her  hind  legs  in  his  lap  while 
he  milks  her. 

"In  summer  the  goat  can  be  tied  to  a  stake  in  the 
yard  and  allowed  to  nibble  the  grass.  She  likes 
leaves,  too,  green  or  the  pretty  colored  ones  that 
we  have  in  the  fall,  and  will  bite  the  bark  from 
trees  and  shrubs.  Nanny  likes  a  dry  place  to  stay 
in,  especially  at  night  when  she  goes  to  bed.  If  she 
stays  where  it  is  wet  it  makes  her  feet  sore. 

"A  friend  of  mine  had  a  goat  and  a  Shetland  pony 
in  the  same  stable.  They  never  quarrelled,  but  ate 
out  of  the  same  rack,  though  Nanny  would  eat  some 
weeds  that  the  pony  threw  away.  She  was  very 
fond  of  lettuce  and  cabbage. 

"The  children  used  to  gather  acorns  for  her.  in 
the  fall  and  spread  them  in  the  barn  to  dry  and  then 


Domestic  Animals  75 

give  them  to  Nanny.  She  loved  them  dearly,  and 
would  run  away  to  the  woods  and  gather  them  for 
herself  whenever  she  got  the  chance. 

"We  do  not  have  many  goats  in  our  country,  but 
in  some  places  where  the  pasture  is  so  rocky  that  no 
cow  can  live,  there  are  many  goats,  and  from  their 
milk  the  people  make  butter  and  cheese." 

The  blackboard  list  looked  like  this  now: 

BODY 

Shape. 
Size. 

COVERING 

Kind;  color;     use. 

LEGS 

Feet;  hoofs. 

TAIL 

Shape. 
Size. 

HEAD 

Eyes. 

Ears. 


76  Domestic  Animals 

Nose. 
Mouth. 

Teeth:  kind;  number. 

HORNS 

Number;  shape;  position;  size. 

BILLY-GOAT 
Beard. 
Large  horns. 

HABITS 

Can  be  driven  in  harness. 
Sometimes  cross. 
Butts  with  horns. 

NANNY-GOAT 
No  beard. 
Smaller  horns. 
Bag  for  milk. 

HABITS 

Gentle;  playful. 

FOOD  OF  GOATS 
Hay. 
Oats. 


Domestic  Animals  77 

Grass. 

Vegetables. 

Leaves. 

Shrubs. 

Weeds. 

Water  infrequently. 

PRODUCTS 
Milk. 
Butter. 
Cheese. 

OTHER  PRODUCTS 
Flesh  for  food. 

Hair  for  cloth  in  some  countries. 
Skin  for  leather. 

NAMES  OF  GOATS 

Billy  —  Nanny. 
Young  goats  —  kids. 

Little  Jimmy  told  a  very  interesting  tale  one  day. 
He  said,  "My  auntie  had  a  goat  that  always  knew 
when  the  fire  alarm  rang  in  the  town,  and  off  he 
would  rush  to  the  fire.  He  would  stand  by  and 
watch  the  fire  until  it  was  all  over,  and  then  he 


78  Domestic  Animals 

would  trot  off  home  again.  All  the  firemen  knew 
Billy  and  always  looked  for  him  at  every  fire.  He 
never  got  in  the  way,  nor  never  got  hurt." 

Miss  Clare  told  them  this  old  riddle  one  morning: 

"  Little  Miss  Nanny-goat 
In  a  white  petticoat. 
The  longer  she  stands 
The  shorter  she  grows." 

They  drew  pictures  of  the  answer  (a  candle)  and 
cut  some  from  white  paper.  To  their  collection  of 
animals  they  now  added  some  paper  goats,  cut  and 
painted,  and  made  little  carts  of  box  covers  with 
milk-stopper  wheels  for  Billy. 

Sheds  were  folded  for  Nanny  to  sleep  in,  and 
pastures  and  barns  were  drawn  and  painted.  Milk- 
ing stools  were  made  again,  and  pans  and  pails  for 
holding  milk. 

Stories  were  not  very  plentiful;  an  old  fable  or 
two,  and  a  tale  from  Miss  Poulsson's  "Through  the 
Barn-yard  Gate,"  were  used,  but  as  the  little  folks 
were  introduced  to  Robinson  Crusoe  this  month,  he 
was  able  to  supply  all  the  deficiencies.  He  furnished 
such  interesting  seat  work,  and  afforded  such  a  good 


Domestic  Animals  79 

chance  to  review  many  things  already  made.  First 
there  was  the  long  voyage,  with  the  ship  to  be  folded, 
his  chest  of  clothes  and  the  wardrobe  itself  to  be  cut. 
Then  there  was  the  wreck,  the  island,  and  the 
gathering  of  the  things  he  was  able  to  save  to  be 
drawn,  a  raft  to  be  woven  of  slats,  a  canoe  and  a 
hut  to  be  constructed,  and  gardens  and  fields  to  be 
measured  and  laid  out. 

There  were  trees,  fruits,  and  birds  to  be  painted, 
cooking  utensils,  dishes,  and  tools  to  be  made  of 
clay,  and  the  last  story  of  the  goats,  which  Miss 
Clare  told  in  this  way: 

-  ROBINSON  CRUSOE^S  GOATS 

"Now  you  must  know  poor  Robinson  Crusoe  had 
been  living  on  the  island  a  long  time,  and  he  was 
very  tired  of  the  things  he  had  to  eat.  One  day  he 
said  to  himself,  'How  good  some  milk  would  taste, 
and  some  cheese,  and  some  nice  fresh  butter.  Oh, 
how  I  wish  I  had  a  cow!  how  I  Jo  wish  I  had  one!' 
Then  the  thought  came  to  him,  'Why,  there  are 
some  goats  on  this  island,  but,  dear  me!  they  are 
so  wild  I  could  never  catch  one.  To  be  sure  I  might 


80  Domestic  Animals 

shoot  one,  but  what  good  would  a  dead  goat  be  ? 
Goat's  meat  is  not  very  good,  and  it  is  milk,  not  meat, 
that  I  want.  How  can  I  catch  oner5  Now  you 
remember  Crusoe  didn't  give  up  very  easily,  so  he 
kept  thinking  about  the  goats. 

"At  first  he  made  some  snares  to  trap  them,  but 
they  were  too  smart  for  him  and  always  got  away 
after  eating  all  the  bait.  Then  he  dug  some  deep 
holes  in  a  place  where  they  liked  to  feed  and  put 
some  corn  into  the  holes.  The  next  day  the  corn 
was  gone,  and  he  could  see  where  the  goats  had 
scrambled  in  and  out. 

"Next  he  took  some  long,  thin  sticks  and  wove 
some  covers  as  you  weave  mats,  and  put  these  over 
his  holes.  On  top  he  put  some  leaves  and  corn, 
and  at  the  ends  he  put  big  stones  to  hold  the  covers 
down.  Then  he  went  home  to  bed.  The  next  day 
he  went  to  look  at  the  traps  and  found  that  a  big 
Billy-goat  had  stepped  on  to  the  cover  of  one,  and 
that  it  had  broken  and  let  him  through.  He  could 
not  get  out,  for  the  stones  held  the  cover  on,  even  if 
he  climbed  up  and  tried  to  butt  it  with  his  horns. 

"He  was  so  fierce  Crusoe  did  not  know  what  to 
do  with  him,  and  besides  he  could  give  no  milk,  so 


Domestic  Animals  81 

he  took  off  the  cover,  and  Billy  jumped  out  very 
quickly  and  ran  away.  When  he  looked  in  another 
hole,  however,  he  found  three  little  kids,  a  Billy 
and  two  Nannies.  They  were  easily  managed,  so 
he  tied  their  legs  together  and  brought  them  all 
home. 

"They  were  quite  wild  at  first  and  would  not  eat, 
but  by  throwing  them  some  corn,  they  soon  found 
out  he  was  their  friend.  He  fastened  them  to  some 
stakes,  and  every  day  he  took  them  some  food,  a 
little  barley  or  rice,  some  green  leaves  and  fresh  water, 
and  by  and  by  they  would  eat  from  his  hand.  Then 
he  fenced  in  a  piece  of  land  and  let  them  loose,  and 
they  would  follow  him  all  around  inside  the  fence 
begging  for  corn. 

"Later  he  captured  some  more  goats  in  the  same 
way,  until  he  had  quite  a  flock.  He  milked  them 
every  day*,  and  oh,  how  good  the  milk  did  taste! 
He  made  butter  and  cheese,  too. 

"As  his  clothes  began  to  wear -out,  I  don't  know 
what  he  would  have  done  for  new  ones  if  it  had  not 
been  for  the  skin  of  the  goats. 

"He  made  a  hat  first,  and  it  had  a  flap  hanging 
down  behind  to  keep  the  hot  sun  off  his  neck.  He 


82 


Domestic  Animals 


made  it  with  the  hair  outside  so  the  rain  would  drip 
off  and  not  run  down  inside  his  jacket. 

"Still  later  he  made  himself  a  jacket,  a  pair  of 
trousers,  a  belt,  some  bags  to  hold  his  game,  and  an 
umbrella.  The  umbrella  was  the  funniest  of  all, 
and  the  hardest  to  make. 

"He  said  any  one  would  have  smiled  to  see  him 
sit  down  to  dinner.  On  one  side  sat  Poll,  his  parrot, 
the  only  one  beside  himself  that  could  talk.  On 
each  side  were  two  cats  and  near  by  an  old  dog, 
and  Robinson  would  give  first  one  and  then  another 
a  bite  from  his  plate. 

"  I  think  the  kitties  as  well  as  Crusoe  must  have  been 
glad  when  they  could  have  some  milk,  don't  you?" 


THE   HORSE 

"  I  came  to  school  this  morning/'  announced  Miss 
Clare,  "with  a  friend  who  seemed  very  glad  and 
happy  over  some  new  shoes.  My  father  told  me 
yesterday  he  was  going  to  get  him  some,  but  as  he 
has  rather  queer  shaped  feet,  one  can't  go  to  the  store 
and  buy  him  some  as  your  father  does  you.  If  I 
should  ask  you  how  many  toes  you  have  on  each 
foot,  you  would  all  say  'Five,'  but  this  other  friend 
of  mine  has  only  one  on  each  foot,  and  he  wears  his 
shoes  fastened  to  his  toe-nails  —  nailed  right  on. 
Did  you  ever  hear  of  such  a  queer  way  of  wearing 
shoes  ? 

"Shall  I  tell  you  a  little  more  about  him,  and  per- 
haps take  his  picture  for  you  ?  Well,  his  ears  are 
rather  long  and  stand  up  quite  straight  like  this 
(sketching  in  some  horse's  ears  over  a  pencil  drawing 
done  the  night  before).  His  face  is  not  as  wide  nor 
his  nose  as  large  as  a  cow's.  When  we  have  put  in 
his  four  legs,  his  tail,  and  his  back  (sketching  rapidly), 

I  am  quite  sure  you  are  ready  to  call  him  a" 

83 


J.. 


Domestic  Animals  8$ 

"Horse,"  cried  a  chorus  of  voices. 

"Yes,  indeed!  Isn't  he  one  of  our  best  friends? 
Just  think  how  fond  I  must  be  of  Dandy,  who  brings 
me  to  school  so  many  mornings,  and  often  saves  me 
the  long  walk  home  at  night. 

"Now  let  us  look  at  our  picture  again  and  see 
what  else  he  needs.  He  could  see  better  —  could  he 
not? — with  an  eye  on  this  side  (putting  one  in), 
and  he  needs  a  tuft  of  hair  to  come  over  his  fore- 
head —  so.  We  will  put  in  his  mane,  arrange  his 
tail  a  little,  and  — there!  Does  he  not  look  very 
well? 

"I  have  just  time  to  tell  you  a  little  about  his 
teeth.  You  know  a  cow  has  no  teeth  in  the  front 
of  her  upper  jaw,  but  a  horse  has.  He  has  six  teeth 
on  each  jaw,  that  are  sharp  at  the  edges  so  that  he 
can  cut  off  the  grass  that  he  eats.  Then  there  are 
a  pair  of  pointed  teeth  on  each  side  of  these,  and 
then  a  gap  without  any  teeth  at  all.  Back  of  this 
gap  are  some  broad,  flat  teeth  with  which  the  horse 
chews  his  food  as  you  do  yours.  Now,  what  do  you 
suppose  that  gap  is  for  ?  See  if  you  can  find  out, 
and  notice  all  the  horses  that  you  see  going  home, 
so  that  to-morrow  you  can  tell  me  about  a  horse's 


86  Domestic  Animals 

"teeth,  color,  coat." 

The  next  morning  Miss  Clare  said,  "Who  is  able 
to  tell  me  about  the  horse's" — ?  (pointing  to  the 
word  "teeth"). 

Johnny's  hand  was  waving  wildly. 

"That  is  the  place  where  the  bits  go  in.  A  horse 
wears  a  little  bar  in  his  mouth  to  which  the  reins 
are  fastened.  You  could  not  guide  a  horse  without 
bits,  my  father  says,"  while  Willie  added: 

"  My  father  took  me  out  to  the  stable  and  showed 
me  how  to  put  the  bits  in.  Papa  put  his  thumb  on 
old  Bob's  jaw  where  the  gap  is,  and  Bob  opened  his 
mouth  wide  and  they  slipped  right  in." 

In  regard  to  his  coat,  they  decided  that  it  was 
made  of  short  coarse  hair,  and  was  thicker  in  winter 
than  in  summer. 

"To  make  it  look  smooth  and  glossy,  you  must 
comb  and  brush  it  just  as  we  do  our  hair,"  explained 
Fred,  and  then  he  produced  a  curry-comb  and  brush 
which  his  father  had  loaned  him  for  the  morning. 
These  were  received  with  great  applause,  and  were 
passed  around  and  examined  by  all  the  little  folks, 
who  afterward  made  drawings  and  cuttings  of  them. 


Domestic  Animals  87 

For  color  they  gaVe  black,  white,  cream,  and  gray, 
while  one  little  boy  added  roan,  sorrel,  bay,  and 
chestnut. 

"Tim  told  me  those  names,"  he  said,  "and  we 
went  over  to  Mr.  Gray's  stable  to  see  his  horses.  He 
has  twenty  of  them,  and  he  told  me  that  he  gave 
them  hay,  oats,  and  corn  to  eat.  In  summer  they 
eat  grass,  and  they  drink  lots  of  water,  a  whole 
pailful  at  a  time,  as  a  cow  does.  He  has  one  horse 
that  likes  apples  and  sugar  very  much.  He  let  me 
give  him  a  lump  of  sugar.  I  put  it  in  my  hand,  so 
(holding  it  out  flat),  and  he  ate  it  all  up,  but  he  did 
not  bite  me." 

Miss  Clare  explained  that  a  horse's  lips  are  flexible; 
that  the  mouth  is  lined  with  a  thin  skin  or  membrane; 
that  the  tongue  is  long  and  narrow,  and  that  he  has 
large  nostrils,  through  which  he  breathes. 

"His  teeth  are  very  strong,  and  they  have  some 
ridges  and  marks,"  she  said,  "by  which  some  men 
are  able  to  tell  the  age  of  a  horse." 

The  teacher  rode  home  that  afternoon,  and  when 
the  team  came  for  her  they  all  went  out  to  look  at 
Dandy.  He  was  wearing  his  new  shoes,  and  the 
driver  lifted  up  one  foot  that  the  little  folks  might 


Domestic  Animals  89 

see  the  hoof  and  the  shoe,  and  Miss  Clare  promised 
a  visit  to  the  blacksmith  at  some  future  day. 

They  found  this  old  rhyme  written  on  the  board 
the  next  morning: 

"Shoe  the  old  horse, 
Shoe  the  old  mare, 
But  let  the  little  colt  go  bare." 

And  they  learned  this  old  song: 

"Ho,  rider  ho,  ho! 
No  longer  can  your  horse  go. 
I  tell  you,  sir,  he  wants  a  shoe. 
The  blacksmith  he  will  make  it  you. 
Some  nails  to  hold  it  on  his  foot, 
The  blacksmith  now  for  you  will  put, 
And,  then,  Master  Rider,  you  can  again  bestride  her, 
And,  then,  Master  Rider,  you  can  again  bestride  her." 

Miss  Clare  told  them  that  in  the  old  days  men 
always  rode  on  horseback,  for  there  were  few  carriages 
and  poor  roads,  and  that  in  some  parts  of  the  world 
now,  that  is  the  usual  mode  of  conveyance.  At  eleven 
o'clock  they  put  on  hats  and  wraps,  and  the  whole 
company  went  to  see  Mr.  Pine,  whose  large  smithy 
was  in  a  nearby  street. 

The  teacher  had  interviewed  the  blacksmith  early 


90  Domestic  Animals 

in  the  morning  and  obtained  his  permission  for  the 
visit.  I  cannot  begin  to  tell  you  how  much  fun  they 
had;  but  if  you  really  wish  to  know,  why,  "Go 
thou  and  do  likewise."  It  happened  that  Mr.  Pine 
was  just  ready  to  shoe  a  horse.  They  noticed  that 
he  wore  a  leather  apron,  and  held  the  horse's  foot 
between  his  knees.  He  pared  the  hoof  with  a  large 
knife,  filed  it  to  make  it  smooth,  and  measured  it  for 
a  new  shoe.  He  heated  the  shoe  red  hot  at  the  forge, 
pounded  it  on  the  anvil,  and  when  it  was  just  the 
right  size,  cooled  it  in  water,  and  nailed  it  to  the 
hoof. 

He  showed  them  that  the  nails  were  not  like  the 
carpenter's  nails,  but  were  long  and  flat,  with  a  sharp 
point.  He  told  them  if  the  shoe  was  too  tight,  it 
would  pinch  the  foot  and  make  corns,  and  if  he  was 
careless  in -driving  in  a  nail,  it  might  hurt  the  horse 
and  make  him  lame. 

He  explained  the  difference  between  a  summer  and 
a  winter  shoe,  the  latter  having  sharp  little  pieces  of 
iron,  called  calks,  on  them,  which  stick  to  the  ice 
and  prevent  the  horse  from  slipping.  He  asked  the 
children  if  they  could  not  sing  him  a  song,  and  with 
one  accord  they  struck  up: 


Domestic  Animals  91 

"Cling,  clang,  goes  the  blacksmith's  hammer, 

Cling,  clang,  how  the  anvil  rings. 
As  he  shapes  the  curving  horseshoe 

Hear  the  song  the  blacksmith  sings. 
Blow  bellows,  heat  iron,  burn  my  fire  a  blazing  bed, 
Strike  hammer,  ring  anvil,  shape  the  iron  while  it's 
red." 

This  visit  was  remembered  for  many  days,  and 
was  often  represented  in  illustrative  drawing  and 
cutting. 

They  compared  the  horse  with  the  cow  and  found 
some  resemblances,  as: 

size, 

shape, 

color, 

coat, 

limbs, 

food  eaten, 

and  that  they  differed  in  regard  to 
teeth, 
feet, 
tail, 

stomach, 
use, 


92  Domestic  Animals 

manner  of  eating, 
sounds  made. 

The  horse  has  no  horns  nor  udder,  is   swift  and 
graceful,  while  the  cow  is  clumsy  and  slow. 

The  blackboard  list  read: 

1  SIZE 

Large. 

2  COVERING 

Coarse  hair. 

3  COLOR 

Black,  white,  cream,  gray,  bay,  sorrel,  chest- 
nut, roan. 

4  LIMBS 

Feet,  hoofs,  toes. 

5  TAIL 

Length,  material,  use. 

6  HEAD 

Face,   nose,   mouth,   ears,   eyes,   lips,   tongue, 
teeth,  mane,  foretop. 


Domestic  Animals  93 

7  FOOD 

Hay,  oats,  corn,  meal,  grass,  water. 

8  BED 

Straw,  sawdust,  leaves. 

One  morning  was  spent  in  talking  about  the  care 
of  a  horse.  He  should  be  well  fed,  have  a  warm, 
clean,  light  stable,  be  combed  and  brushed,  have 
plenty  of  water,  and  wear  a  blanket  in  cold  weather. 
He  should  not  stand  in  the  wind  without  a  covering, 
should  not  have  his  tail  docked,  his  mouth  hurt  with 
cruel  bits,  nor  be  beaten  nor  scolded.  His  harness 
should  fit,  he  should  not  be  driven  too  fast  nor  too 
long  without  a  rest,  nor  hurried  up  hill.  He  ought 
not  to  be  asked  to  draw  too  heavy  a  load. 

Miss  Clare  asked  them  to  bring  in  some  stories 
telling  of  the  intelligence  of  the  horse,  and  here  are 
two  that  were  given: 

FRED'S  STORY 

"  My  uncle  had  a  kitty  who  stayed  out  in  the  barn 
and  slept  in  the  horse's  manger.  Old  Jim  was  very 
kind  to  kitty  and  let  her  stay,  except  when  he  was 


94  Domestic  Animals 

going  to  have  his  supper.  Then  if  kitty  was  lying 
in  the  hay  he  always  took  her  up  in  his  mouth  and 
dropped  her  on  the  floor.  Uncle  said  he  guessed 
old  Jim  was  afraid  he'd  make  a  mistake  and  eat 
her  instead  of  hay." 

NATE'S  STORY 

"At  the  grocery  store  where  papa  works  they  had 
a  horse  that  always  went  home  at  twelve  o'clock  to 
get  his  dinner.  If  papa  was  out  getting  orders  at 
the  different  houses  and  Ben  heard  the  noon  whistle 
blow,  he  would  start  for  home  on  a  run,  without 
waiting  for  anybody.  They  never  hitched  him  when 
driving,  as  he  would  wait  any  length  of  time  if  he 
did  not  hear  the  whistle.  When  that  sounded  he 
wanted  his  dinner." 

Miss  CLARE'S  STORY 

"My  brother  had  a  horse  named  Bell  who  was 
very  intelligent.  If  you  said,  'Bell,  have  you  had 
your  supper  ? '  and  she  had  not  been  fed,  she  would 
always  whinny. 

"One  day  brother  Harry  went  for  a  long  drive 
and  at  night  he  stopped  at  an  hotel  out  in  the  coun- 


Domestic  Animals 


95 


try.  '  Rub  down  my  horse  and  give  him  four  quarts 
of  oats,'  he  said  to  the  hostler  at  the  stable,  and  then 
he  went  into  the  house  to  get  his  own  supper.  Later 
he  went  back  to  the  stable.  'Have  you  had  your 
supper,  Bell?5  he  asked.  Bell  whinnied  'No.' 

'Why  haven't  you  fed  my  horse?'    Harry  said 
to  the  hostler. 

'She  has  had  her  supper,'  said  the  hostler. 

'You  are  mistaken;  she  has  not.' 

'I  know  she  has/  answered  the  man. 

'Did  you  feed  her  yourself?'  inquired  Harry. 
"  'No,  but  I  told  my  boy  to.' 
;'Then  Harry  hunted  up  the  boy.     'Did  you  feed 
my  horse  ?'   he  asked.     'No,'  said  the  boy,  'someone 
called  me  to  the  telephone  and  I  forgot  it.' 

"  'There,'  said  Harry,  'what  did  I  tell  you  ?  Bell 
said  she  had  not  been  fed,  and  she  never  tells  lies.9 " 

Another  story: 

JOHN  AND   BYRON 

John  was  a  negro  boy,  full  of  fun  and  frolic.  Byron  was  a 
large,  white  horse.  Both  lived  and  worked  on  Grandma  Hud- 
son's farm. 

John  had  a  habit  that  Byron  disliked.     While  he  was  eating 


96  Domestic  Animals 

his  supper  of  sweet  hay  and  golden  corn,  John  would  stand  in 
front  of  the  stall  and  tease  him,  by  making  all  sorts  of  ugly 
grimaces. 

John  thought  it  fine  fun  to  see  Byron  get  angry  and  try  to 
bite  him  through  the  bars  of  the  stall. 

Uncle  George  had  often  reproved  John  for  this  naughty  habit, 
telling  him  that  the  horse  would  hurt  him  some  time  if  he  con- 
tinued his  insults. 

One  day  when  Uncle  George  was  away,  John  went  into  the 
stable  to  bridle  Byron,  and  lead  him  to  the  well.  But,  as  he 
was  reaching  up  to  take  hold  of  his  mane,  Byron  opened  his 
mouth,  seized  John  by  his  thick,  curly  hair,  lifted  him  from  the 
floor,  and  walked  leisurely  out  into  the  barn-yard. 

Grandma  heard  a  loud  scream,  and  ran  to  the  kitchen  door 
to  see  what  was  the  matter.  There  was  Byron,  with  John 
hanging  from  his  mouth,  marching  across  the  yard;  he  was 
not  trying  to  hurt  the  boy,  but  only  giving  him  a  vigorous  shake 
now  and  then,  to  show  him  what  he  could  do  if  he  had  a  mind 
to.  When  he  had  punished  him  sufficiently,  he  dropped  him 
on  the  ground,  and  trotted  away  to  the  well.  In  this  novel 
way  John  was  taught  to  abandon  the  cruel  and  dangerous 
habit  of  teasing  animals.  We  all  thought  Byron's  trick  a  very 
smart  one  for  a  horse.  —  Our  Dumb  Animals. 

The  teacher  asked  them  to  find  out  how  a  horse 
slept  at  night,  how  he  got  up  when  lying  down,  and 
what  a  baby  horse  was  called. 


Domestic  Animals  97 

To  the  list  now  they  added  the  horses'  different 
ways  of  moving.  They  caa 

walk, 

trot, 

gallop, 

canter, 

pace, 

run, 

and  the  children  learned  the  song,  by  Mrs.  Gaynor: 

"Oh,  a  gallant  horse,  big  and  strong  am  I, 

A-gallop,  a-gallop,  a-trot. 
And  I  arch  my  neck,  and  my  head  hold  high, 

A-gallop,  a-gallop,  a-trot. 

Like  the  winds  that  blow  o'er  the  plains  near  by, 
With  my  rider  bold  I  can  swiftly  fly, 
And  my  hoofs  beat  time  on  the  road  so  dry, 

A-gallop,  a-gallop,  a-trot. " 

They  had  a  great  many  pictures  of  horses,  and  the 
teacher  told  them  of  the  little  Shetland  ponies,  Indian 
ponies,  and  the  beautiful  Arabian  steeds.  She  told 
them  also  that  horses  can  be  trained  to  do  a  great 
many  different  things;  that  there  are  horses  that 
draw  the  fire-engines,  driving  horses,  saddle  horses, 


98  Domestic  Animals 

war  or  cavalry  horses,  car  horses,  hunting  horses, 
and  racing  horses.  She  gave  out  paper  and  pencils, 
and  let  each  child  tell  of  the  work  he  had  seen  or 
heard  of  a  horse  doing,  and  the  following  list  was 
taken  from  the  different  papers. 

A  horse 

plows, 

rakes, 

harrows, 

treads  machines  to  thresh  grain, 

ireads  machines  to  saw  wood, 

carries  milk, 

draws  coal, 

draws  ice  plow  to  cut  ice, 

draws  cars,  hacks,  coaches,  carriages,  hearses, 

draws  all  kinds  of  heavy  loads. 

Of  course  they  illustrated  their  work  in  their  usual 
manner,  painting,  drawing,  cutting,  and  modeling 
all  sorts  of  objects  connected  with  the  subject,  and 
dramatized  several  of  the  stories  told  them,  "Old 
Sol"  being  a  great  favorite. 

They  played  the  blacksmith  game,  fire  engine 
horses,  high  stepping  horses,  the  farmer,  the  knights, 


Domestic  Animals  99 

and  the  circus  horses.     The  stories  Miss  Clare  used 
were: 

"Old  Sol,"  "Nahum  Prince."  ("In  the  Child's 
World."—  Poulsson.) 

"How  Athens  was  Named,"  "Pegasus,  the  Horse 
with  Wings,"  "A  Dangerous  Ride."  ("In  Myth- 
land."  II.  —  Beckwith.) 

,    "Village    Blacksmith,"    "Bell   of  Atri."    -Long- 
fellow. 

Stories  from  Our  Dumb  Animals. 

Songs : 

"Ho    Rider."     ("Kindergarten    Chimes." 

Wigging 

"The  Horse,"  "The  Blacksmith."     ("Songs 
of  the  Child  World."  —  Gaynor.) 


THE  DONKEY 

"Do  any  of  you  little  folks  know  what  it  is  to 
have  a  cousin?"  inquired  Miss  Clare,  one  windy 
March  morning. 

"I  thought  you  did"  -noticing  the  flutter  of 
hands. 

"Some  of  us  have  big  cousins  and  little  cousins, 
girl  cousins  and  boy  cousins,  cousins  with  blue  eyes 
and  cousins  with  black  eyes;  but  did  you  know  that 
our  friend,  the  horse,  has  a  cousin,  too,  and  that 
they  look  quite  a  good  deal  alike  ?  The  cousin  has 
four  legs  like  a  horse,  hoofs  that  look  like  his,  a  gap 
in  his  teeth  for  a  bit,  he  wears  the  same  kind  of  coat, 
the  same  shoes,  and  his  name  is 

DONKEY 

"Did  you  ever  see  one?  Let  us  try  to  draw  his 
picture.  First,  he  has  very  long  ears  (drawing  them 
over  an  outline),  not  much  of  a  mane,  and  a  tail  that 
has  long  hair  only  at  the  end. 


Of   TH£ 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 
ILIR 


102  Domestic  Animals 

"He  is  not  as  large  as  the  horse,  nor  of  the  same 
color,  for  a  donkey  is  nearly  always  gray  with  a 
darker  stripe  down  his  back,  and  often  one  over 
his  shoulders. 

"He  has  a  keen  smell,  good  eyesight,  and  excellent 
ears,  perhaps  because  they  are.  so  big.  Now,  see  if 
you  can  find  out  anything  about  donkeys  at  home 
and  tell  me  to-morrow." 

Knowing  that  donkeys  were  rather  unfamiliar 
animals,  the  next  day  Miss  Clare  borrowed  a  little 
toy  one  of  a  shop-keeper  down  town.  It  was  an 
excellent  model,  of  just  the  right  color,  and  when 
one  moved  its  head,  it  gave  forth  a  most  realistic 
bray,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  little  folks.  After 
it  had  been  duly  admired,  William  said,  "See  if  it 
can  tell  us  a  story,  Miss  Clare."  So  after  a  long 
delightful  bray,  it  began  as  follows: 

"I  hope  my  voice  does  not  frighten  you  little 
people.  It  is  only  a  donkey's  way  of  saying,  'I  am 
glad  to  see  you,'  and  'Good  morning.'  It  is  not  a 
very  pleasant  voice,  I  admit,  and  so  thought  a  great- 
uncle  of  mine  who  lived  long,  long  ago.  He  didn't 
like  the  sound  of  his  voice,  and  one  day,  hearing 
some  grasshoppers  chirping  out  in  the  meadow,  he 


Domestic  Animals  103 

went  to  them  and  said:  'Oh,  grasshoppers,  what 
sweet  voices  you  have!  I  never  heard  anything 
half  so  fine  as  your  song.  Do  tell  me  what  kind  of 
food  you  eat,  that  I  may  try  it  and  have  a  pleasant 
voice  also.' 

"'Dew,  we  eat,'  said  the  grasshoppers,  'nothing 
but  dew/  So  the  donkey  said,  '/  will  eat  nothing 
but  dew,5  but  in  a  very  little  while  he  died  of  hunger. 
None  of  us  have  ever  tried  to  improve  our  voices 
since  then. 

"I  hear  that  you  know  a  great  deal  about  my 
cousin,  the  horse,  and  that  we  are  alike  in  many 
ways,  but,  dear  me,  people  don't  treat  me  as  well 
as  they  do  him.  They  call  me  slow,  and  stupid, 
and  sometimes  beat  me  with  sticks.  Do  you  suppose 
any  donkey  likes  that  ? 

"  If  you  look  at  my  feet  you  will  see  that  they  are 
quite  small,  and  I  can  pick  my  way  carefully  over  a 
narrow  mountain  path  where  a  horse  cannot  go. 
I  am  not  as  large  as  he  and  do  not  need  so  much 


room.'' 


"What  do  you  eat?"  asked  Tim. 
"Oh,  hay  and  grass,  as  horses  do,  but  not  so  much 
at  a  time.     I  will  eat  some  things  that  a  horse  won't; 


104 


Domestic  Animals 


thistles,  for  instance.  I  like  those,  and  I  like  to  lie 
down  and  roll  over  in  them.  Their  needles  brush 
out  my  hair  as  a  curry-comb  does  a  horse's.  I  like 


to  roll  in  the  sand,  too,  and  I  will  do  it  sometimes 
even  if  I  have  a  load  on  my  back.  That  makes  my 
master  cross;  but  if  he  brushed  me  off,  of  course,  I 


Domestic  Animals  105 

should  like  that  better;  but,  alas!  donkeys  have  a 
hard  life,"  and  he  gave  another  bray. 

"I  don't  like  mud,"  he  continued.  "I  always 
take  pains  to  go  around  any  I  see  in  the  road.  I 
like  the  clean,  cool  water,  and  will  drink  no  other 
kind.  I  never  put  my  nose  deep  down  in  the  tub, 
though.  I  just  take  little  sips.  I  heard  a  man  say 
we  were  afraid  of  the  shadow  our  big  ears  make  in 
the  water  when  we  go  to  drink,  but  we  are  not  so 
silly.  I  am  afraid  of  water,  though,  and  I  never 
will  cross  a  stream  and  get  my  feet  wet  if  I  can 
possibly  help  it. 

"Donkeys  have  good  eyes.  I  can  tell  my  master 
a  long  way  off,  and  in  the  dark  I  know  when  he  is 
near,  for  I  can  smell  him." 

"Can  you  gallop?"  queried  John. 

'Yes,  but  only  a  few  minutes  at  a  time.  I  can 
run  and  pace,  also,  but  it  tires  me  to  try  to  go  swiftly. 
Oh,  I  am  only  a  slow  beast!" 

"How  old  are  you?"  questioned  Paul. 

"I  don't  know  exactly,  but  it  takes  a  baby  donkey 
about  four  years  to  grow  to  his  full  size,  and  he  lives 
to  be  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  old. 

"It  takes  less  room  for  us  than  for  horses,  less 


io6  Domestic  Animals 

food,  and  less  care.  In  the  old  days,  many  men 
who  had  little  money  could  keep  a  donkey  when 
they  couldn't  afford  to  keep  a  horse. 

"Well,  folks,  I  must  say  good-by  now,"  and  he 
disappeared  into  his  box. 

The  next  day  several  pictures  were  brought,  and 
Charles  said:  "Papa  says  a  donkey  has  a  good 
memory,  for  he  knows  the  different  places  in  which 
he  has  lived,  and  different  roads  he  has  traveled. 

"If  you  try  to  make  him  carry  too  heavy  a  load, 
he  will  bend  down  his  ears,  show  his  teeth,  and  look 
pretty  ugly,  but  I  would,  too,  if  a  man  wasn't  kind 


to  me." 


"Yes,"  said  Miss  Clare,  "that  is  one  of  a  donkey's 
ways  of  talking." 

"A  donkey  does  not  often  lie  down  to  sleep," 
chimed  in  Walter.  "He  goes  to  bed  standing  up. 
If  you  cover  up  his  eyes  he  will  stand  perfectly  still. 
If  he  lies  down  on  his  side  so  that  one  eye  is  on  the 
ground,  so  (illustrating  by  stretching  his  head  out 
on  the  desk),  and  you  cover  up  his  other  eye  with 
a.  cloth,  or  a  board,  he  won't  even  try  to  get  up. 

"Papa  says  donkeys  are  the  best  kind  of  ponies 
for  little  boys  to  have,  for  they  are  patient  and  slow. 


Domestic  Animals  107 

I  asked  him  if  he  wouldn't  buy  me  one,  but  he  said 
I  had  two  good  feet  of  my  own  and  didn't  need  one, 
but  I  could  tell  Santa  Claus  about  it." 

Miss  Clare  explained  that  donkeys  in  some  parts 
of  the  world  are  used  a  great  deal.  You  will  see 
them  fastened  to  little  milk,  fish,  or  vegetable  carts, 
for  they  are  strong  and  can  carry  heavy  loads. 
They  do  not  need  as  warm  a  stable  as  a  horse  and 
can  live  on  poorer  food. 

Their  blackboard  list  read: 

BODY 

Size  and  shape. 

LEGC 

Feet. 
Hoofs. 

COVERING 
Kind. 
Color. 
Use. 

TAIL 

Size  and  shape. 
Covering. 


io8  Domestic  Animals 

MOVEMENTS 
Walks. 
Runs. 
Paces. 
Gallops. 
But  only  for  a  short  time. 

USE 

Draw  loads. 

Draw  carts. 

Plough. 

Climb  steep  mountains  and  hills, 
HEAD 

Eyes. 

Ears. 

Nose. 

Mouth. 

Teeth. 

HABITS 

Patient. 
Slow. 
Stupid. 
Affectionate. 
Good  memory. 


Domestic  Animals  109 

Timid. 
Sure  footed. 

FOOD 

Hay. 

Oats. 

Grass. 

Vegetables. 

Weeds. 

Thistles. 

Clean  water. 

Miss  Clare  told  them  the  following  story: 

"Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  soldier  at  Gib- 
raltar who  owned  a  donkey  by  the  name  of  Valiant. 
The  soldier  was  sent  to  Malta,  and  after  a  while  he 
sent  to  Gibraltar  for  his  donkey.  'Put  Valiant  on 
board  the  next  ship  that  sails/  he  wrote.  'I  cannot 
get  along  without  the  dear  little  beast.'  So  in  a 
few  days  the  donkey  set  sail  with  the  sailors  for 
Malta.  When  they  were  far  out  on  the  sea,  a  great 
storm  arose,  the  ship  struck  a  rock,  sprung  a  leak, 
and  everybody  was  in  danger  of  being  drowned. 
The  men  got  out  the  row-boats.  'We  must  try  to 


no  Domestic  Animals 

row  to  land/  they  said,  'but  we  cannot  take  the 
donkey.  He  must  swim  or  drown,'  and  they  pushed 
him  overboard.  They  reached  the  shore  at  last 
and  took  another  ship  for  Malta,  and  when  they 
reached  there  they  told  the  soldier  that  his  poor 
little  donkey  was  lost  in  the  sea. 

"Not  long  after  that,  one  morning,  a  little  donkey 
was  seen  walking  through  the  streets  of  Gibraltar. 
He  went  straight  to  Mr.  Weeks'  stable  and  brayed 
for  something  to  eat. 

"How  surprised  Mr.  Weeks  was  to  find  it  was 
Valiant,  but  he  had  no  idea  how  the  donkey  got 
back,  for  he  had  supposed  he  was  in  Malta.  No- 
body could  explain  until  one  of  the  sailors  came 
home  and  told  what  had  happened.  And,  only 
think,  little  Valiant  not  only  swam  to  shore,  but  he 
found  his  way  back  to  his  old  home,  over  mountains 
and  streams,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  miles,  with 
no  one  to  help  him  or  tell  him  the  way. 

"I  don't  believe  anyone  ever  called  him  stupid 
after  that,  do  you  ?  I  hope  he  was  put  on  another 
ship  and  sent  to  his  master,  who,  I  am  sure,  would 
be  kind  to  him  after  that." 

There  did  not  seem  to  be  many  songs  about  the 


Domestic  Animals  in 

donkey,  so  Miss  Clare  remodeled  some  of  the  old 
ones,  substituting  " donkey"  for  "horse,"  and  pro- 
ceeded in  the  same  manner  at  game  time. 

They  enjoyed  dramatizing  some  of  ^Esop's  Fables, 
which  contained  few  characters,  such  as,  "The  Ass 
and  the  Grasshoppers,"  "Ass  in  the  Lion's  Skin," 
"Ass  and  the  Wolf,"  "Ass  and  Frogs,"  etc. 

They  reviewed  the  Christmas  story  of  the  journey 
to  Bethlehem,  when  Mary's  beast  was  a  donkey, 
and  the  children  brought  several  little  anecdotes 
from  home. 

They  made  mountains  in  the  sand  table  before 
school,  and  sent  long  trains  of  paper  donkeys  (which 
they  had  cut,  mounted,  and  colored)  over  the  narrow 
passes  into  the  valleys  below.  They  made  donkey 
carts,  also,  and  filled  them  with  loads  of  gay  paper 
boys  and  girls,  gorgeous  vegetables,  or  shining  brass 
milk  cans. 

There  were  shoes  to  be  cut  and  sewed  and  modeled 
in  clay,  and  the  little  beast  himself,  with  quite  mar- 
velous results;  and  when  the  month  closed  they 
agreed  with  Miss  Clare  in  thinking  that  the  donkey 
is  one  of  the  most  useful  of  our  four-footed  friends. 


"Shi&  Iftftfe     » 

"to 
market?' 


THE  PIG 

Miss  Clare  and  Michael  were  holding  an  animated 
conversation  at  the  teacher's  desk. 

''Yes'm,  six  of  them,  awful  pretty,"  were  the 
words  borne  to  the  listening  children,  followed  by 

'bout  so  long,"  and  Michael  was  measuring  with 
his  hands. 

Miss  Clare  nodded,  smiled,  said  "Yes,  indeed," 
and  added,  after  a  glance  at  the  clock,  "a  quarter  of 
twelve  will  be  a  good  time;"  then  Michael  walked 
to  his  seat  with  a  proud  air,  nothing  more  was  said, 
and  the  classes  were  called  as  usual. 

Just  before  noon,  however,  the  teacher  said,  "Get 
your  hats,  very  quietly,  for  we  are  going  a  little 
earlier  than  usual.  Michael  has  invited  us  to  go 
home  with  him  for  a  few  minutes.  He  has  some- 
thing to  show  us  that  we  know  you  will  like  to 
see." 

Michael  lived  with  his  grandfather  in  a  little 
house  down  the  back  alley,  not  far  away,  and  when 

"3 


ii4  Domestic  Animals 

the  children  came  in  sight  there  stood  the  old  man 
by  the  gate  looking  down  the  street. 

"Oh,  so  they  came,  did  they  ?  All  the  children  and 
the  teacher,  too?  You  are  very  welcome;"  and  he 
led  them  to  the  back  of  the  house. 

Here  was  a  small  yard  fenced  in  with  rough 
boards  that  Grandfather  called  a  sty.  The  children 
climbed  up,  peeped  in,  and  what  do  you  think  they 
saw?  A  mother  and  six  little  white  pigs! 

I  cannot  begin  to  tell  you  how  pretty  and  cunning 
they  looked,  with  their  pink  skin,  soft  white  bristles, 
and  little  curly  tails.  They  were  running  around 
and  giving  little  shrill  squeals  and  low  grunts. 

Grandfather  climbed  into  the  sty,  picked  up  one 
of  the  little  animals,  and  brought  it  out  so  that  the 
children  could  examine  it  more  carefully.  As  he 
held  it,  they  looked  at  its  feet  and  saw  that  each 
sme  was  split  into  two  toes,  and  that  each  toe  had  a 
hoof;  they  noticed  the  number  and  shape  of  its 
legs;  its  ears,  eyes,  mouth,  and  teeth;  felt  of  its 
tail,  and  its  covering  of  bristles,  which  was  much 
stiffer  than  the  hair  they  had  seen  on  any  other 
animal. 

"Look  at  its  odd  little  nose,  children,"  said  Miss 


Domestic  Animals  115 

Clare.  "See  how  flexible  it  is!  Piggy  can  turn  it 
any  way  he  likes.  The  end  of  it  is  called  the  snout." 

Just  then  the  mother  pig  (Grandfather  called  her 
the  sow)  gave  a  loud  grunt  and  began  to  dig  a  hole 
in  the  ground  with  her  snout;  all  the  little  pigs  ran 
up  and  tried  to  dig,  too,  with  their  little  noses. 

"If  you  were  to  dig  a  hole,  you  would  want  a  spade 
or  a  hoe,  would  you  not,  children  ?  Or  maybe  some 
dirty  boy  would  use  his  hands;  but  not  one  of  you 
would  think  of  us  ng  his  nose,  I  am  sure,"  continued 
the  teacher. 

"When  pigs  are  wild  they  do  not  have  their  food 
brought  to  them,  but  must  find  it  for  themselves. 
They  live  largely  upon  roots,  and  their  sense  of 
smell,  which  is  keen,  helps  them  to  choose- the  kinds 
that  are  best  to  eat,  and  they  dig  these  up  with  their 
snouts.  Pigs  can  dig  real  deep  holes  where  the 
ground  is  not  hard  and  stony  and  they  will  some- 
times dig  from  under  their  sty  when  the  farmer 
thinks  he  has  them  nicely  housed." 

"Our  old  pig  did  that!"  exclaimed  Michael, 
"and  we  had  to  chase  her  all  round  the  alley  before 
we  got  her  back." 

"Pigs  are  contrary  creatures/'  explained  Grand- 


n6 


Domestic  Animals 


father.  "They  are  sure  to  go  in  the  wrong  direction 
when  you  try  to  drive  them." 

"What  do  pigs  eat?"  inquired  the  children. 

"Potatoes,"  said  the  teacher,  "and  other  kinds  of 
cooked  vegetables;  milk,  sweet  or  sour;  any  kind 
of  meal;  scraps  of  food  left  from  the  table,  and 


clover  and  some  kinds  of  weeds  in  summer.  They 
must  have  water  to  drink,  but  they  are  not  as  dainty 
and  particular  about  its  being  clean  as  most  other 
domestic  animals  are.  They  are  greedy  creatures, 
and  make  a  disagreeable  noise  in  eating." 

"Would  you  like  to  see  them  eat  ?"  asked  Grand- 
father, 


Domestic  Animals  117 

He  went  into  the  house  and  presently  came  back 
with  a  kettle  of  warm  swill,  which  he  poured  into  a 
trough  in  one  corner  of  the  sty. 

What  a  scrambling  and  squealing  there  was  then! 
In  their  haste  the  pigs  fairly  tumbled  over  one 
another,  and  one  greedy  little  beast  fell  right  into 
the  trough!  Sorry  looking  he  was  indeed  as  he 
waddled  out. 

Miss  Clare  noticed  that  Grandfather  kept  his  sty 
very  clean.  There  was  a  bundle  of  straw  in  one 
corner  for  the  pigs  to  sleep  on;  the  troughs  he 
scrubbed  out  with  an  old  broom,  and  the  water  was 
fresh  and  clean.  She  complimented  the  old  man 
on  his  neatness,  thanked  him  for  the  pleasure  he 
had  given  them  all,  and  then  sent  the  little  people 
home  to  their  dinners. 

When  school  opened  the  next  morning  there  was 
a  pig  sty  on  the  blackboard  and  a  whole  family 
of  pigs,  "looking  just  like  the  truly  ones,"  Tom 
said. 

The  children  found  that  a  pig  is  not  a  hard  animal 
to  draw,  so  they  reproduced  the  picture  and  cut 
out  some  hektographed  pictures  to  add  to  their 
farm-yard  collection.  Some  of  these  they  colored 


1 1 8  Domestic  Animals 

when  they  found  out  that  pigs  are  black,  black 
and  white,  as  well  as  white. 

Miss  Clare  explained  that  pigs  are  found  in  many 
countries  and  are  called  swine.  She  told  them  that 
a  long  time  ago  in  some  parts  of  England  swine 
were  kept  in  large  herds,  as  is  now  the  custom  in 
parts  of  our  own  country.  She  said  that  the  man 
who  took  care  of  the  swine  was  called  a  swineherd, 
just  as  a  man  who  takes  care  of  sheep  is  called  a 
shepherd. 

The  swineherd  had  a  horn  and  a  great  whip,  and 
he  could  take  care  of  five  or  six  hundred  swine. 
He  fed  them  when  the  sun  rose,  and  then  they  went 
where  they  pleased  during  the  day,  feeding  upon 
roots  and  acorns;  but  when  the  sun  was  setting 
they  scampered  for  home,  where  warm  beds  and 
good  food  were  waiting  for  them.  The  horn  was 
blown  before  they  were  fed,  and  what  a  rush  and 
scramble  there  would  be  when  they  heard  it! 

The  swineherd  knew  his  pigs  as  a  shepherd  does 
his  sheep,  and  if  any  were  missing  at  night  he  took 
his  dogs  and  whip,  went  after  them,  and  drove  them 
home. 

The  little  folks  found  "  Piggy  Wig  and  Piggy  Wee" 


Domestic  Animals  119 

in  the  Poulsson  "Finger  Plays"  very  entertaining, 
and  they  illustrated  it  on  the  blackboard  in  a  very 
realistic  manner. 

For  seat  work  they  made  gates  for  the  sty  out  of 
slats,  folded  troughs  of  paper,  and  made  buckets, 
kettles,  pails,  vegetables,  and  pigs  of  clay. 

The  use  of  pigs  was  discussed,  and  the  children 
learned  that  this  animal  differed  from  the  others 
they  had  studied  in  that  it  is  raised  as  an  article  of 
food  only;  though  Miss  Clare  told  them  she  had 
read  of  one  man  who  had  a  pig  that  he  trained  to 
hunt  as  a  dog  does.  This  pig  could  smell  the  game 
a  long  way  off,  and  when  it  did  smell  it,  it  would 
stand  quite  still  and  try  to  hold  its  little  curly  tail 
out  straight,  as  a  dog  does. 

The  blackboard  list  read: 

BODY 

Size. 
Shape. 

LEGS 

Feet. 
Hoofs. 


I2O  Domestic  Animals 

COVERING 
Kind. 
Color. 
Use. 

HEAD 

Ears. 
Eyes. 
Mouth. 
Teeth. 

Nose. 

Snout. 

SOUNDS 

Grunts. 
Squeals. 

TAIL 

Size. 
Shape. 

FOOD 

Vegetables  vcooked . 
Meal  of  all  kinds. 


Domestic  Animals  121 

Milk,  sweet  or  sour. 

Scraps  from  house  table  called  "swill." 

Clover  and  some  weeds. 

Water. 

HABITS 

Movements. 

Slow. 

Awkward. 
Dirty. 
Stupid. 

Digs  with  snout. 
Not  dainty  as  to  food  or  water. 

The  attention  of  the  children  was  now  directed  to 
swine  as  articles  of  food.  Miss  Clare  told  them  of 
the  stock-yards  in  Chicago,  a  city  of  animals  with  a 
great  city,  and  described  the  pens  or  houses  in  which 
they  are  kept,  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  them,  and 
the  manner  of  feeding  them. 

"It  is  said,"  explained  the  teacher,  "that  every 
part  of  the  pig  is  used  in  some  way  except  the  squeal. 
The  inside  fat,  when  melted,  is  known  as  lard,  and 
we  use  it  when  we  cook  The  flesh  of  the  pig  is 


122  Domestic  Animals 

called  pork,  and  when  this  is  salted  it  will  keep  a 
long  time.  The  salt  pork  is  put  into  tubs  and  some 
of  it  is  put  on  board  ships  that  are  going  for  long 
sails  over  the  big  ocean.  The  sailors  cannot  get 
much  fresh  food  out  at  sea,  and  if  it  were  not  for 
salted  pork  and  beef,  they  would  have  no  meat  at  all. 

"Ham,  bacon,  and  sausages  we  get  from  the  pig, 
also,  and  when  all  of  the  fleshy  parts  have  been  dis- 
posed of,  there  are  still  some  other  uses  for  piggy. 
The  brushes  with  which  we  smooth  our  hair,  clean 
our  clothes,  wash  our  teeth,  and  black  our  shoes  are 
all  made  from  the  stiff  hairs  on  his  back;  his  skin, 
so  thick  and  hard  that  no  water  will  run  through  it, 
makes  the  best  of  saddles;  some  of  his  bones  are 
made  into  buttons,  hair-pins,  and  combs,  while  the 
hoofs,  refuse  grease,  and  bones  are  converted  into 
glue,  soap,  candles,  bone  meal,  and  fertilizer." 

The  children  found  out  at  home  and  brought  long 
lists  of  food  in  which  mamma  used  lard  and  other 
parts  of  the  flesh  of  the  pig,  and  they  had  a  clay 
"baking  day,"  when  they  made  doughnuts,  pies, 
croquettes,  etc.,  galore. 

To  their  list  they  now  added: 


Domestic  Animals  123 

USE 

FOOD  PRODUCTS 
Pork. 

Fresh,  salted. 

Ham. 
Bacon. 
Sausage. 
Lard. 

OTHER  PRODUCTS 

Bristles  for  brushes. 
Clothes. 
Hair. 
Nail. 
Teeth. 
Shoe. 

BONES 

Buttons. 
Hair  pins. 
Combs. 
Bone  meal. 


i24  Domestic  Animals 

SKIN 

Saddles. 
Purses. 

REFUSE  MATTER 
Glue. 
Soap. 
Candles. 
Fertilizer. 

The  pig  does  not  seem  to  be  celebrated  in  song 
and  story  to  any  great  extent.  Miss  Clare  told  the 
old  fairy  tale  of  "The  Three  Tiny  Pigs";  the  nursery 
rhyme,  "This  Pig  Went  to  Market";  .Esop's  "The 
Porker,  the  Sheep,  and  the  Goat,"  and  "The  Eagle, 
Cat,  and  WilH  Sow";  "The  Prodigal  Son,"  from  the 
Bible,  and  the  following  little  anecdote  from  Harper's 
Young  People: 

TWO   GOOD  SWIMMERS 

One  bright  summer  morning  as  I  was  strolling  toward  the 
beach  on  the  Island  of  Mackinac,  I  saw,  a  short  distance 
ahead  of  me,  two  little  pigs',  one  perfectly  white  and  the  other 
perfectly  black,  both  of  the  same  size,  trudging  along  side  by 
side  in  the  same  direction  as  myself. 


Domestic  Animals  125 

They  seemed  so  out  of  place,  and  I  was  so  curious  to  know 
whither  they  were  bound,  that  I  followed  them  unobserved. 
They  did  not  walk  aimlessly,  but  as  if  they  had  some  special 
object  in  view,  and  some  definite  destination. 

I  wondered  what  they  would  do  when  they  reached  the 
water.  I  was  not  long  in  being  answered.  Without  a  moment's 
hesitation,  they  plunged  into  the  waves,  side  by  side,  and  swam 
out  and  away  toward  another  island,  six  miles  distant.  I  stood 
and  watched  them  until  their  two  little  heads  looked  like  balls 
bobbing  up  and  down,  side  by  side,  all  the  time. 

When  I  related  the  incident  to  the  landlord,  a  little  later,  he 
looked  astonished  and  annoyed. 

"Those  pigs,"  he  said,  "were  to  have  been  served  up  for 
dinner  to-day.  They  were  brought  here  this  morning  in  a  boat 
from  that  island,  six  miles  away,  and  we  thought  we  might  allow 
them  their  freedom,  never  thinking  of  their  making  an  attempt 
to  go  home. 

"And  did  you  notice,"  he  continued,  "they  chose  the  point 
of  land  nearest  the  island  where  they  came  from,  to  enter  the 
water?  Singular  that  the  little  animals  should  have  been  so 
bright!  And,  furthermore,  they  weren't  landed  there;  that 
makes  it  more  strange." 

I,  too,  left  the  island  that  day,  and  I  have  never  heard  whether 
these  brave  little  pigs  ever  reached  their  destination  or  not. 

The  children  made  up  a  game  for  themselves  which 
they  called  "The  Swineherd/'  playing  it  as  they  did 
"The  Shepherd,"  at  recess;  and  they  sang  the  song 


126  Domestic  Animals 

of  "Five  Little  Pigs,"  a  finger  play,  in  "Games  and 
Rhymes,"  by  Hailman. 

As  pigs  did  not  seem  to  the  teacher  to  be  animals 
she  cared  to  have  the  children  imitate,  they  drew 
lessons  from  them  as  to  what  to  avoid,  such  as  un- 
cleanliness,  table  habits  of  greediness,  uncouth  noises 
when  eating  and  drinking,  laziness,  etc.,  though  the 
lesson  of  physical  kindness  in  the  way  of  care  and 
food  was  impressed  upon  the  little  folks  as  was  done 
in  all  of  their  animal  studies. 


Fowls 


THE  HEN 

"Will  you  take  the  basket,  Tom,  please?"  asked 
Miss  Clare  as  she  drove  up  to  the  school-house  door. 
"If  you  hear  a  little  noise,  don't  be  frightened," 
she  continued,  merrily,  as  they  went  in,  "for  it  con- 
tains something  that  is  alive." 

There  was  a  piece  of  netting  tied  over  the  basket, 
so  Tom  peeped  in  and  saw  —  feathers.  He  caught 
a  glimpse,  also,  of  a  tiny  dark  eye,  but  it  was  after 
the  morning  hymn  had  been  sung  and  everybody 
was  sitting  with  a  "straight  back,"  that  the  cover 
was  finally  removed;  then,  as  Miss  Clare  tipped 
the  basket  down,  out  walked  a  ben. 

She  was  a  very  handsome  white  one,  with  beauti- 
ful long  tail  feathers.  As  the  room  was  very  quiet 
she  did  not  seem  at  all  afraid,  and  as  she  walked 
slowly  across  the  room  the  children  were  bidden  to 

watch  her  most  carefully. 

127 


THE   COCK  THAT   CROWS   LOUD   AND   LONG  IN  THE   MORNING 


Domestic  Animals  129 

Feathers  were  now  passed  around,  and  the  little 
folks  discovered  that  the  short,  fluffy  ones  covered 
the  hen's  body,  while  the  longer  ones  were  found  ki 
wings  and  tail.  They  noticed  the  rib  in  each  feather, 
and  the  variegated  hues,  and  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  hens  were  not  all  of  the  same  color. 

Attention  was  then  called  to  the  number  and 
shape  of  the  feet  and  the  manner  of  walking.  A 
hen's  foot  was  passed,  that  they  might  see  the  dif- 
ferent lengths  of  the  toes,  the  long  nails,  and  the 
little  pad  or  cushion  in  the  centre  of  the  foot.  By 
this  arrangement  the  hen  is  enabled  to  cling  to  its 
perch  and  not  fall  off,  even  when  asleep. 

Some  corn  was  now  sprinkled  on  the  floor,  and 
while  Biddy  was  eating  it  Miss  Clare  crept  up  softly 
from  behind  and  seized  her  by  the  legs.  She  strug- 
gled for  a  minute,  but  soon  kept  very  still.  Then 
the  little  folks  crept  up  for  a  nearer  view.  They 
saw  that  a  hen's  eyes  are  round  and  bright  with  a 
pupil  in  the  middle  of  each.  There  was  a  little 
twitching  or  winking,  if  one  looked  carefully,  that 
could  be  seen,  and  Charlie  thought  Biddy  closed 
them  tight  at  bedtime  as  he  did  his. 

The  ears  were  a  puzzle,  but  Ned  noticed  a  tiny 


130  Domestic  Animals 

lid  on  each  side  of  the  head,  and  when  one  of  these 
was  gently  lifted  there  was  a  little  round  hole  to  hear 
with. 

Just  over  the  bill  was  Biddy's  nose  or  nostrils  — 
two  more  holes  —  and  when  Pete  held  out  some  corn 
on  a  book  she  opened  her  mouth  to  swallow  it,  and 
he  saw  her  tongue. 

They  admired  the  bright  flesh  on  the  top  of  her 
head,  called  the  comb,  and  the  flaps  of  the  same 
color,  the  wattles,  that  hang  down  on  each  side, 
and  after  seeing  her  take  a  drink  of  water  they 
watched  the  teacher  put  her  back  in  the  basket, 
tie  on  the  netting,  and  give  her  to  Brother  Harry, 
who  called  to  take  her  back  home. 

"Now,"  said  Miss  Clare,  "we  shall  talk  about  the 
hen  again  to-morrow,  though  Biddy  will  not  be  here, 
and  I  shall  expect  you  to  tell  me  about  her: 

BODY 

Size. 
Shape. 
Covering. 
Colors, 


Domestic  Animals  131 

LEGS 

Number. 
Shape. 

FEET 

Toes. 
Nails. 

HEAD 

Comb. 

Wattles. 

Eyes. 

Shape. 
Ears. 

Position. 
Nose. 
Mouth. 

Tongue. 

"Find  out,  too,  all  you  can  about  food  for  hens 
and  where  people  keep  them." 

A  fine  large  cock  was  the  first  thing  that  met  the 
eyes  of  the  little  people  when  they  looked  at  the 
blackboard  the  next  morning,  and  near  by  was  Biddy 
reaching  out  for  some  corn  that  lay  at  her  feet, 


132  Domestic  Animals 

"I  know  what  'tis,"  exclaimed  Fred;  "it  is  a 
rooster.  Grandpa  has  one,  and  grandma  says  he 
is  the  man  of  the  hen-house.  If  a  hawk  or  a  weasel 
comes  stealing  'round  after  a  chicken  he  will  fly  at 
him  and  drive  him  off." 

"Yes,"  said  Miss  Clare,  "a  good  farmer  always 
has  some  roosters  or  cocks  among  his  fowls.  They 
are  brave  and  courageous,  and  look  after  the  wives 
and  children  —  the  hens  and  little  chickens.  It  is 
the  cock,  too,  that  crows  loud  and  long  in  the  morn- 
ing, telling  people  as  well  as  hens  that  it  is  time  to 
get  up.  Oh,  a  cock  is  a  handsome  fellow  as  he 
stands  out  in  the  morning  sunshine,  calling,  '  Cock- 
a-doodle-doo/  or  as  the  old  rhyme  says: 

"  Cock-a-doodle-do, 

My  dame  has  lost  a  shoe, 
My  master's  lost  his  fiddle  stick, 
And  don't  know  what  to  do. 

"Now,  who  is  going  to  tell  me  what  a  hen  eats?" 
The  little  folks  were  ready,  and  grain,  such  as 

rye,  oats,  corn,  and  barley,  were  mentioned,  as  well 

as  many  vegetables. 

"You   must   cook   the   vegetables,"   said    Harry. 


Domestic  Animals  133 

"You  may  boil  potatoes,  carrots,  peas,  beans, 
cucumbers,  and  almost  everything  that  grows  in  a 
garden,  but  it  is  better  to  mix  some  meal  with  them, 
though,  and  in  the  winter  hens  like  the  food  warm. 
They  eat  scraps  and  bits  of  meat,  too,  and  father 
gives  our  hens  little  stones  that  he  calls  gravel  and 
bits  of  broken  oyster  shells,  and  they  eat  them  just 
as  they  do  corn.  I  asked  him  why,  last  night,  and 
he  says  hens  haven't  any  teeth,  and  they  eat  these 
things  to  help  grind  up  their  food." 

Miss  Clare  smiled  approval,  and  John  added: 
"You  need  a  hen-house  that  is  snug  and  warm, 
and  a  yard  outside  where  they  can  run  about.  They 
like  grass  to  eat,  and  lettuce,  cabbage,  and  chick- 
weed.  You  must  keep  the  house  clean.  Uncle 
Frank  whitewashes  his  hen-house  inside  every  little 
while.  Hens  like  water  to  drink,  and  sour  milk, 
and  they'll  scratch  in  the  dirt  and  eat  the  bugs  and 
worms  that  they  find  there." 

Then  they  learned  the  song  by  Mrs.  Gaynor  in 
"Songs  of  the  Child  World,"  beginning  "Mr. 
Rooster  wakes  up  early  in  the  morning,"  and  had 
^Esop's  tale  of  "  Cock-a-doodle  and  the  Piece  of 
Gold." 


134 


Domestic  Animals 


The  use  of  hens  came  next.  There  were  none  of 
the  children  but  what  knew  that  we  get  our  eggs 
from  hens,  and  a  few  were  ready  with  some  details. 

Paul  said:  "Once  at  grandma's  we  were  going 
to  have  a  hen  for  dinner,  and  grandma  showed  me 


A  SITTING   HEN 


some  tiny  little  eggs,  and  one  quite  large  one,  that 
she  found  inside  the  hen  when  she  was  getting  it 
ready  to  cook. 

''The  eggs  didn't  have  any  shells,  not  even  the 


Domestic  Animals  135 

biggest  one,  just  a  thick  skin,  'cause  shells  are  the 
last  part  of  the  egg  to  be  made  so  they  can  squeeze 
together  and  not  take  up  so  much  room.  When  an 
egg  is  all  made  Biddy  knows  ^about  it  and  climbs 
into  her  nest  and  lays  it.  She  never  lays  but  one  a 
day,  and  she  cackles  when  she  comes  off." 

"What  does  she  say?  inquired  the  teacher. 

"Cut-cut-ca-dah-cut';  and  it  sounds  like  *  Johnny 
get  your  hair  cut/  Cousin  John  says.  When  you  go 
to  get  the  egg  it  is  always  warm  if  the  hen  has  just 
laid  it." 

Miss  Clare  told  them  she  had  read  that  a  good 
hen  will  lay  about  two  hundred  eggs  a  year,  if  she 
has  a  good  home,  a  yard  to  run  in,  and  plenty  of 
food  and  water. 

"She  likes  something  like  hay  or  straw  for  a 
nest,"  she  continued,  "though  she  will  often  steal 
away  in  the  summer  and  make  a  nest  for  herself  in 
the  grass  and  bushes.  When  you  see  a  hen  scratch- 
ing and  clucking,  and  staying  on  her  nest  a  long 
time,  people  call  her  a  "sitting  hen,"  and  the  farmer 
gives  her  or  lets  her  lay  for  herself  a  whole  nest  full 
of  eggs.  Then  she  feels  very  happy.  She  sits  on 
them  day  after  day,  hardly  coming  off  to  eat  or 


136  Domestic  Animals 

drink,  and  keeps  them  warm  with  her  soft,  downy 
feathers.  Every  day  she  turns  them  half  way  over  and 
moves  them  around  so  that  all  will  be  kept  warm,  and 
then  after  twenty-one  days,  if  all  goes  well,  she  hears 
a  little  'chip,  chip,  peep,  peep/  and  out  comes  a  downy 
little  chick;  'peep,  peep,  chip,  chip,'  and  another 
and  another  comes  out,  until  there  is  a  whole  brood 
of  them,  ready  to  run  about,  and  crying  for  some- 
thing to  eat.  Oh,  they  are  so  cunning,  like  fluffy 
little  balls,  and  the  good  mother  hen  takes  such  good 
care  of  them,  cuddling  them  under  her  warm  wings 
at  night,  calling  them  in  out  of  the  wet,  scratching 
up  bugs  and  worms  for  them,  calling,  'Cluck,  cluck, 
come  quick,  here's  a 'worm!  here's  a  bug!  here's 
Sally  with  some  dough!  hurry  up,  hurry,  hurry/ 
and  oh,  how  they  scamper!"  She  told  them,  too, 
a  little  about  hatching  chickens  in  an  incubator, 
and  showed  them  pictures  of  several  kinds. 

One  morning  they  found  a  group  of  eggs  drawn 
on  the  board,  and  out  of  one  a  little  chicken  was 
peeping.  Underneath  was  printed: 

"This  is  little  yellow  head, 

Who  says  he's  very  well. 
He  thought  he'd  rather  take  a  walk, 
Than  stay  inside  his  shell." 


Domestic  Animals  137 

They  talked  of  coops,  of  hawks,  weasels,  and 
other  enemies  of  chickens,  and  had  boards  full  of 
illustrations:  nests  with  eggs,  downy  chickens,  cocks 
and  hens,  dishes  for  water,  bags  of  grain,  coops,  and 
hen-houses. 

The  ringer  play  of  Miss  Poulsson's,  "Good  Mother 
Hen,"  was  much  enjoyed,  and  "The  Happy  Hen" 
in  "Marching  Songs"  (Guy  Burleson),  made  a  good 
game.  A  favorite  song  was  this,  from  the  "Nied- 
linger"  song  book: 

"I  think  when  a  little  chicken  drinks, 

He  takes  the  water  in  his  bill, 
And  then  he  holds  his  head  way  up, 
So  the  water  can  run  down  hill." 

"What  eggs  are  used  for,"  formed  one  lesson. 
The  children  remembered  the  happy  Easter  egg  hunt 
they  had,  and  brought  long  lists  of  food  in  which 
they  were  used,  and  told  how  they  liked  them  cooked. 

Hens,  chickens,  and  roosters  are  particularly  good 
for  paper-cutting,  and  these  were  added  to  the 
animal  set.  There  were  coops,  eggs,  nests,  and 
dishes  drawn  and  modeled,  and  little  stories  written, 
illustrated,  and  tied  into  books. 


138  Domestic  Animals 

But  there  were  other  uses  of  the  hen.  Who  did 
not  like  chicken  to  eat,  stewed,  fried,  baked,  roasted, 
and  made  into  salad  and  pies;  and  who  did  not  enjoy 
pillows  and  cushions  filled  with  soft  feathers  ?  Roy 
said  they  made  pens  out  of  the  long  quills  when  his 
grandma  was  a  little  girl,  and  she  wrote  with  one  in 
school. 

The  blackboard  list  grew  apace.     They  added: 

FOOD 

Vegetables  (cooked). 

Grass  and  other  green  stuff. 

Gravel. 

Grain,  as  rye,  corn,  barley,  wheat. 

Bugs,  worms. 

Meal. 

Water. 

* 

MOVEMENTS 
Runs. 
Walks. 
Flies. 


^Domestic  Animals  139 

SOUNDS 

Clucks. 

Cackles. 

Squawks. 

HABITS 
Shy. 

Makes  nests. 
Lays  eggs 
Hatches  chickens. 
Scratches  in  dirt. 

ROOSTER 

Fights. 

Brave. 

Defends  home. 

Calls  hens  in  morning. 

PRODUCTS 
Eggs. 
Chicks. 

Articles  of  food. 
Feathers. 

Stories  were  numerous;    some  were  taken  from 
"  In  the  Child's  World,"  such  as  "  The  Lost  Chicken," 


140  Domestic  Animals 

"Pe-wee's  Lesson,"  "The  Story  of  Speckle,"  while 
the  old  fairy  tale  of  "Henny  Penny  and  Chicken 
Little"  was  often  called  for. 

At  the  close  of  the  month  the  children  were  ready 
to  express  much  gratitude  for  the  hen  and  the  good 
things  she  gives  us. 


THE   DUCK 

SUGGESTIONS 

If  teachers  wish  to  go  more  into  detail  in  regard  to 
different  varieties  of  ducks,  much  information  can  be  gleaned 
from  natural  histories  and  encyclopedias. 

"Out  into  the  water 

On  a  bright  warm  day, 
Mother  leads  her  children 
For  a  merry  play." 

"Who  do  you  suppose  the  mother  is?"  in- 
quired Miss  Clare,  after  the  little  people  had  read 
this  verse  from  the  blackboard  one  bright  June 
morning. 

"We  would  all  like  to  go  out  and  paddle  a  day 
like  this,  would  we  not?  However,  I  doubt  very 
much  about  our  mothers  taking  us.  But  this  mother 
is  always  glad  to  go.  She  has  the  same  number  of 
feet  our  mothers  have,  the  same  number  of  eyes, 
the  same  number  of  ears,  though  one  needs  bright 

eyes  to  find  the  ears. 

141 


Domestic  Animals  143 

"She  wears  a  dress  that  is  smooth  and  glossy,  and 
often  it  is  beautifully  colored.  As  for  her  children, 
why,  she  usually  has  a  dozen  or  more  babies,  all  of 
the  same  size  and  all  looking  much  alike.  Fortu- 
nately they  don't  require  as  much  care  as  our  home 
babies;  the  mother  never  stops  to  wash  and  dress 
them.  Oh,  no,  indeed!  She  just  opens  her  mouth, 
says  'Quack,  quack'  (deftly  rolling  up  a  curtain  that 
covered  a  section  of  the  board  and  revealing  a  draw- 
ing of  ducks),  and  here  you  see  the  whole  family  out 
for  a  morning  plunge. 

"Notice  the  feet,"  continued  the  teacher;  "they 
look  somewhat  like  hen's  feet,  but  the  three  front 
toes  are  joined  together  with  thick  skin,  while  the 
back  one  is  smaller  and  free.  A  foot  of  this  kind 
is  called  a  web  foot. 

"Ducks  are  fine  swimmers;  even  the  babies,  as 
soon  as  they  are  out  of  the  shell,  rush  for  the  water 
and  swim  off  as  easily  as  the  mother,  without  one 
lesson.  They  use  their  feet  as  paddles. 

"Notice  a  duck's  bill;  here  is  one  I  have  drawn 
large.  See!  it  is  broad  and  flat,  with  holes  here  for 
the  ducks  to  breathe  through  the  nose.  The  whole 
bill  is  covered  with  a  tender  skin.  If  you  watch  a 


144  •     Domestic  Animals 

duck  out  on  the  water  not  far  from  the  shore,  you 
will  see  her  dive  her  head  down  into  the  soft  mud. 
She  is  after  bugs  and  worms,  and  the  edges  of  her 
bill  are  made  in  such  a  way  that  they  act  as  a  strainer; 


they  keep  the  insects  in  her  mouth  and  let  the  muddy 
water  run  out. 

"A  duck  has  soft,  pretty  feathers  that  keep  out 
cold  and  wet,  and  she  lays  eggs  as  a  hen  does.     The 


Domestic  Animals  145 

little  ducklings  are  hatched  from  eggs  as  chickens 
are,  but  the  mother  duck  sits  on  the  eggs  longer  — 
twenty-eight  days. 

"My  cousin  that  I  visited  last  summer  keeps  ducks, 
and  at  that  time  she  had  about  fifty  little  ducklings. 
She  told  me  that  meal  and  uncooked  food  was  not 
very  good  for  little  ducklings,  so  twice  a  day  she 
baked  great  cakes  of  dough  for  them.  She  made 
the  cakes  of  meal  or  grain  mixed  with  water.  It 
was  great  fun  to  see  her  feed  them  out  in  the  yard. 
She  broke  the  cake  into  small  pieces,  and  how  they 
would  run  and  scramble  for  it!  On  pleasant  days 
she  let  them  run  about  in  the  yard  and  take  a  little 
swim  in  the  water,  but  on  rainy  days  they  were 
kept  in  the  duck-house. 

"  'What  harm  will  it  do  if  they  get  wet  ?'  said  I. 
'  Don't  they  get  wet  swimming  ? ' 

'No/  she  replied,  'only  a  little,  and  the  hot  sun 
soon  dries  their  feathers;  but  rain  chills  them  all 
through.  The  first  year  I  kept  ducks,  a  good  many 
died  from  cold  and  wet,  and  I  learned  to  be  more 
careful.  One  must  not  let  ducklings  stay  in  the 
water  very  long  at  a  time,  either,  for  [they  often  get 
cramp  in  their  legs/ 


146  Domestic  Animals 

"Then  she  picked  up  a  little  duckling  that  had 
fallen  into  a  pan  of  water,  and  took  him  into  the 
kitchen  to  dry  by  the  fire. 

"Now  we  have  found  out  something  about  a 
duck's 

Eyes. 

Ears. 

Nose. 

Bill. 

Covering. 

Color. 
Feet. 
Toes. 

To-morrow  I  will  tell  you  something  more." 

The  next  day  there  was  a  little  duck-house  drawn 

on  the  board  with  sloping  roof,  two  front  windows, 

and  a  door  at  the  end. 

"My  cousin  has  her  duck-house  on  a  little  hill, 

so  that  the  water  will  run  off  and  not  soak  into  the 

ground  and  make  it  damp. 

"There  is  clean  straw  on  the  floor,  which  is  taken 

out  and  burned  when  it  gets  soiled,  and  the  house  is 

made  snug  and  tight  so  no  weasel,  rat,  or  other  enemy 


Domestic  Animals  147 

can  get  in.  Inside  there  are  large  pans  for  drinking 
water,  troughs  for  food,  and  the  nests. 

"The  nests  are  along  the  wall  at  the  back  on  the 
floor.  They  are  made  of  hay  and  straw,  and  strips 
of  board  are  nailed  in  front  to  keep  them  in  place. 
Last  summer  she  had  some  coops  outside,  like 
chicken  coops,  where  she  kept  the  smallest  duck- 
lings. 

"  I  told  you  yesterday  about  the  food  of  the  little 
ones.  The  old  ones  ate  meat  and  vegetables  chopped, 
meal  mixed  with  water,  grain,  green  stuff,  bugs, 
worms,  etc.  She  said  she  gave  them  more  cooked 
food  in  winter  when  it  was  cold. 

"The  father  duck  does  not  lay  eggs.  He  is 
called  a  drake,  and  looks  after  his  family  as  the 
rooster  does  his.  He  usually  has  two  feathers  in 
his  tail  that  are  recurved  or  turned  back  over  his 
back. 

"Ducks  are  found  in  many  countries.  Don't  you 
remember  about  the  ducks  of  the  little  Chinese  girl 
in  'Seven  Little  Sisters'  ? 

"Let  us  think  now  of  some  of  the  ways  in  which 
ducks  resemble  hens,"  and  they  put  this  little  list 
on  the  board: 


148  Domestic  Animals 

DUCKS  AND  HENS 
Lay  eggs. 
Sit  on  eggs. 

Hatch  their  babies  from  eggs. 
Like  the  same  food. 
Have  feathers. 
Are  good  to  eat. 

And  this  one  also: 

Ducks  differ  from  hens  in  having 
Curved  necks. 
In  sounds  made. 
In  manner  of  walking. 
In  liking  water. 
Different  feet. 
Different  bills. 
No  comb. 
No  wattles. 

Later  the  children  learned  the  little  song  in  the 
"Niedlinger"  song  book  beginning: 

"Mrs.  Duck  went  to  call  on  Mr.  Turkey, 

And  she  walked  with  a  wobble,  wobble,  wobble. 
She  said  " How-de-do"  to  Mr.  Turkey. 

Mr.  Turkey  said,  "  Gobble,  gobble,  gobble." 


Domestic  Animals  149 

This  proved  such  a  favorite  that  they  often  drama- 
tized it,  as  well  as  one  in  the  Jenks  book: 

"  There  they  go  in  the  water  clear, 
One,  two,  three,  four,  five,  I  declare," 

One  morning  Miss  Clare  told  them  of  the  wild 
ducks  that  go  south  in  such  flocks  in  the  autumn. 

"There  are  many  varieties,"  she  said,  "of  different 
sizes  and  various  colors.  See  if  you  can  find  out 
about  any  of  them  at  home." 

The  next  day  Tom  told  about  the  "wood  duck." 
He  said:  "They  nearly-always  go  in  pairs,  and  they 
build  their  nests  in  the  woods,  sometimes  on  the 
ground,  but  often  in  a  hollow  tree.  Papa  found  a 
nest  once  in  an  old  tree  stump  with  thirteen  eggs  in 
it.  They  were  covered  over  with  soft  down  that  the 
mother  bird  had  pulled  from  her  breast  to  keep 
them  warm.  Later,  when  they  were  hatched,  he 
said  he  supposed  the  mother  duck  took  them  in  her 
bill  and  carried  them  down  to  the  ground,  one  by 
one,  and  led  them  off  for  a  swim,  for  that  is  the 
way  wood  ducks  do. 

"They  like  seeds,  acorns,  oats,  other  grain,  and 


150  Domestic  Animals 

insects  to  eat;  they  are  called  *  summer  ducks/ 
too,  because  they  stay  here  only  in  the  summer." 

Ned  said  there  are  some  ducks  in  England  called 
"burrow  duck,"  because  they  often  lay  their  eggs 
in  rabbit  burrows. 

Canvas-back  duck,  the  wild  duck  that  is  especi- 
ally good  to  eat,  was  mentioned.  These  are  usually 
found  near  rivers,  go  in  flocks,  and  are  good  divers. 

The  eider  duck  was  not  forgotten,  Miss  Clare 
telling  the  children  of  its  home  in  the  cold  northland. 

"It  has  such  lovely  soft  down  that  people  like  it 
to  put  inside  comfortables  and  pillows.  The  mother 
bird  takes  this  down  from  her  breast  to  line  her 
nest  and  to  cover  over  her  eggs.  Sometimes  the 
father  bird  helps  her  by  plucking  the  down  from 
his  breast  also. 

"The  eggs  are  good  to  eat,  and  the  people  in  the 
cold  country  are -glad  to  have  them,  as  there  are  no 
hens'  eggs." 

For  seat  work  the  little  folks  made  pretty  pictures 
by  pasting  white  paper  ducks  on  a  blue  background; 
clay  ducks  were  also  made,  as  well  as  eggs,  drinking 
pans  and  dishes  from  this  plaster  material. 

Cardboard  houses  and  coops  decorated  the  sand 


Domestic  Animals  151 

table  and  whole  duck  families  were  added  to  the 
animal  collection. 

Stories  were  not  so  very  numerous,  though  Dumb 
Animals  furnished  some,  and  the  old  tale  of  the 
"Ugly  Duckling"  was  a  favorite. 

So  the  school  year  came  to  a  close,  and  as  Miss 
Clare  was  saying  good-bye  to  the  little  ones,  this 
note  from  Tom's  father  was  handed  to  her:  } 

Dear  Miss  Clare: 

I  am  unable  to  meet  you  face  to  face  to-day  and  to  wish  you 
a  happy  vacation  as  I  intended  to  do.  I  am  sorry  for  this,  but 
my  greatest  regret  is  that  I  cannot  personally  express  my  grati- 
tude to  you  for  this  year's  animal  lessons.  .They  have  done 
more  for  Tom  in  awakening  a  love  for  life  and  the  care  of  it 
than  you  will  ever  know.  Rest  assured  that  I  shall  do  all  in 
my  power  to  strengthen  the  feeling  in  the  days  to  come. 

Cordially  yours, 
17  Cedar  Street.  C.  J.  VAN  NORMAN. 


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